A Slow Burn
by MimixIshidax
Summary: When Mimi Tachikawa decided to go to Tokyo University, she had only been expecting to rekindle some old friendships and further her education. What she hadn't been expecting was for her once purely platonic relationship with a certain blue eyed, blonde haired, brooding musician begin to blur into romance. [College fic.]
1. Homecoming

**_"Slow Burn"_ **_(def.):_ _an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time_.

-x-

 **Chapter One:** _Homecoming_

-x-

They weren't supposed to be friends that was for sure. He had barely ever spoke to her and her him, they never felt it necessary to establish any sort of relationship considering there had been more important tasks at hand.

Like simultaneously trying to stop two worlds from falling apart.

Plus, there were just so many things he just never understood about her. Her eternal optimism for one. Seriously, was it possible for one person to be so damn happy all the time? Because she was, and he really just didn't get it.

At first it annoyed him because god it was irritating when all he wanted was to be brooding over whatever it was that was plaguing him that day and she was just there, her very presence just exuding that old adage "it could be worse" on to him.

But then, there were times where that blind hope, that faith and light literally kept him alive. Because there were nights that stretched eternities, days that seemed like their last and times where death was knocking on their door.

And her constant reminders that they would see their families again, that they would all be happy again that one day it would all be over, was the only thing that kept him going after a while.

He needed that, _they_ need that, someone to keep up morale and remind them what it was they were fighting for.

They'd seen a lot of bad, a lot of death, a lot of devastation and it would have been really easy to shut it all off, keep it out and become numb to it. Especially for him, he'd done it his whole life, first with his parents fighting, then with their divorce.

But she kept him in touch with his humanity and more importantly his empathy. Because she never let him or any of them become desensitized to the concept of death when it otherwise would have been easy to. There had been times they had witnessed the senseless slaughtering of entire villages, friends turning to foes, betrayals from people and things they had trusted but most of all the heartlessness of the world at such a young age.

Because no matter how easy it would have been to just accept that this was the way things were, survival of the fittest and all that, there she was, annoyingly positive that everything would eventually be okay.

And then… it was.

Sure it wasn't so cut and dry and they fought like hell to get there, but that wasn't the point, the point was that somehow, some way they got there.

Home.

And they _did_ see their families again and eventually it _was_ all over.

But before he'd had the chance to properly thank her or even realize that he needed to, she was gone.

Just like that.

And he was left with all these thoughts that built up into regrets and long distance phone calls that really burned a hole through his wallet because there were so many things he just never got to say.

It just felt like every time he'd gotten everything off his chest, there was another thing that crept back up into his brain and wouldn't let him go until he vocalized it.

It started out with just a phone call to see how she was doing, how she adjusted to the new place and all that. It lasted too long though, he knew that by the time he hung up.

There was something comforting about her voice, because admist all the chaos and carnage, they had each other and somewhere along the way that started to matter a lot more than it had in the beginning.

They were a team, a family and without her, everything seemed lost.

Incomplete.

Broken.

Before he really had the chance to question it or stop it the phone calls became more frequent, once or twice a month. Then they were weekly, and then all of a sudden she was as constant in his life as school or work or his band.

She too had become a part of his routine.

Somewhere between never having a real conversation in person, and feeling disconnected from the way things were, they'd built a real friendship. And as the years passed, their relationship as well as their problems maturing, they became something like therapists to each other.

He kept her up to date with the various dramas and trivialities that went on in their friend group, hoping to keep her at least somewhat in the loop that way. But he also told her his various issues, whether it be with his band or the girl he was seeing at the time or TK and she would just listen to him. Letting him vent or whatever it was he needed at the time, before offering him some perspective usually along the lines of her classic at least you don't have it as bad as this person that usually annoyed him at first but really did help in the long run.

She complained about her otherwise pampered life, mostly about her absentee parents who didn't take much time to get to know her but kept her living lavishly with a black card and a house to match. She didn't talk to him much about her romantic problems, mostly because he had grown protective over the years and she'd made the mistake of sharing something along those lines with him once before and it really got him angry.

There was no use for him to be angry though, he couldn't exactly protect her from heartbreak or all the ugly things people could do to a person like her who was so willing to believe the best in people, he was too far away.

So for his sake, because she didn't want to stress him out or put him through that unnecessary lamentation, she just held it in.

They'd fallen into a pretty good groove over the years, their relationship one of mutual honesty, comfort and most of all trust. She didn't have to worry about being too open or too whiny or too vulnerable. And he didn't have to worry about her telling someone or making him feel a little too in his feelings.

"So, I kind of have to tell you something." He could tell by her voice that this was something she'd been holding back for a while because she sounded guilty.

He cleared his throat, waited patiently for her to continue.

"But I don't know how you're going to react or if you're going to even care. And I feel like you're going to kinda be pissed I didn't say anything earlier and Matt I so don't wanna hear a lecture because it's kinda weird to—

"Stop rambling." Matt interrupted.

Mimi took a deep breath on the other side, "So, you know how my parents are never around?" She asked.

"Mhmm."

"Well, I kind of convinced them to let me go away to school." By school, he assumed she meant college.

Though he wasn't angry at her for not telling him, it was kind of odd, but it probably slipped her mind. Last they'd talked of her college, she had a lot of options, and hadn't narrowed them much.

She'd always been indecisive as all hell.

Usually, with these things he would try to help her out, since he had already been through the process of applying to schools the year before but he didn't know anything about American universities, so his input was kind of limited.

Still, with classes starting up in not even two weeks, he felt bad for not even following up with her about it.

"That's good. Where?"

"Far."

"Okay… how far?" He didn't understand why she was being so cryptic, it wasn't in her nature to be secretive.

Especially with him.

"Like… Tokyo, far." Her voice was meek, getting higher towards the end of the sentence.

He nearly choked on the sip of water he had decided to take at that moment, "Are, are you serious?" He sputtered.

"Oh no, you think it's a bad idea don't you. I just, I figured what does it matter where I go because it's not like they're here anyway and I'll be eighteen in a few months so I mean really I should be able to make these decisions on my own and I thought hey if I'm going to go away then it may as well be somewhere I know so I'm not _totally_ starting over but you think it's a bad idea, and I guess it was stupid to begin with because I haven't seen any of you guys in like years—

"Mimi, can I talk?"

"Yes, please. Do." She breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Well, before I ask you why you didn't tell me, I'm going to say that I don't think it's a bad idea you're coming back. I think it's great."

"You, you do?" She asked, the disbelief evident in her voice. "Seriously?"

Matt grinned, "Of course I do. I mean, it's not like everyone just forgot about you. I know Sora would be thrilled to know you're going to be joining us at TU in the fall and so will Tai." He promised.

"And you?" She asked, her voice was small and so adorable Matt couldn't stop the grin from expanding on his face.

"I'm happy, it'll be nice to have my friend around."

"Really?" Her voice perked up considerably. "Because, I'm excited, I was nervous but I'm _really_ excited."

Matt chuckled, "Now, why didn't you tell me again?" He asked.

"I honestly didn't really make the decision to come for sure for sure til I talked to my parents and I didn't know if they would agree. I actually thought it was a bit of a shot in the dark anyway considering everything that went down in OBA, ya know?" She had really not even dwelled on it as a viable option because she was pretty convinced her parents would veto. "But then they said yes and I got all anxious coz I so hadn't thought that far ahead. Like what if you guys were just like ugh why is she back she was so annoying to deal with—

"Well, you are annoying." Matt said playfully.

"Shut up, where would you even be without me?" She laughed.

"Nowhere, I'd be utterly lost." The sarcasm was evident, but it usually was with Matt.

"Of course you would be." She said triumphantly.

"Are you going to tell the others?"

"Yeah, I was thinking of giving Sora a facetime call tomorrow and telling her, that way I can gauge her reaction." She said conspiratorially.

Matt laughed, "Great plan." He shook his head.

"Whatever. Just have that welcome home party ready for me, Ishida."

"I'll get right on that."

"You should, coz I'll be there before you know it."

"Two weeks, Meems. Got it."

-x-

 _2 weeks later…_

She had said she would just meet them all at Tokyo University, but Matt had skeptical. Mimi wasn't great with directions and she got sidetracked far too easily, so when he saw her walking towards him with Sora in tow, he was more than surprised.

Tai, on the other hand, was surprised for other reasons, he assumed. Matt was very aware that Mimi had blossomed into a very attractive young woman, having been on the receiving end of many facetime phone calls as well as seeing her on pages like Instagram and Twitter. Tai, however, was neither so interested in keeping up with technology nor keeping in touch. So Matt just smirked as the brunette tried to pick his jaw up off the floor.

"Dude, you didn't tell me Mimi got _hot_!" He whistled.

"Gee, sorry Tai. I didn't realize I was supposed to inform you of your friend's various bodily changes." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I didn't really notice. I mean, it's just Mimi."

"Just Mimi, Matt. She's…" If there was an accurate way to describe Tai right now, it would be the heart eyes emoji, because that was literally how he was looking at Mimi.

"Quit acting like you've never seen a girl before. It's embarrassing." Matt elbowed him.

A small, shy smile of recognition appeared on Mimi's face as she saw the two boys standing in front of her. "Matt!" She couldn't stop herself from launching her body into his arms.

Matt, caught her with a surprised chuckle. "Hey, Tachikawa." He murmured affectionately into her hair. "What brings you to town?" He said playfully.

"No, don't let go yet." She hugged him a little tighter.

He obliged, a little red-faced at the look he was getting from Tai, but happy to see her nonetheless. He was glad to have her here, something always felt missing without her.

She let him go, "Hey Tai." Mimi smiled, giving him an obligatory hug as well.

"Sor." Matt greeted with a one armed hug to her shoulders.

"So after you told me that you were coming, Mimi, I made some calls to the university, my uncle actually knows the director here and he got you a last minute switch so we could be roommates." Sora went over the piece of paper with the brunette. "We're in Frey Hall, it's the one by the Chemistry building." She was pointing out various locations on the map, while Mimi tried her best to keep up.

Sora looked up from the map, "They changed the layout of the buildings this year to start work on that new Physics lab. Do you two know where you're going?" She asked with a raised eyebrow that told them she knew the answer already.

A guilty look was exchanged between both boys, "Don't you worry your pretty little head, Sora. We'll figure it out." Tai assured her. "We navigated an entire other world at age eleven, how tough can it be to find our classes?" He winked at her.

"Tai, sooner or later you're going to have to stop using the digiworld as a point of reference for _everything_ , you do know that right?" Sora said with a roll of her eyes.

"Says who?" He humored her. " 'Sides, the way I see it, if me and Matt get "lost"—He paused to put air quoates around the word, "It gives us an excuse to chat up some sorority girls." He rubbed his hands together.

Mimi laughed, "Smooth." She mentioned, as she continued to look at the map in Sora's hands.

"You can be such a _boy_ sometimes." Sora said distastefully.

"I can't help my nature." Tai stuck out his tongue childishly. "But speaking of sorority girls…" His eyes wandered to a group of girls a few paces clad in shorts and midriff tank tops, who were making eyes at the two boys.

A few minutes later one of the girls came over she had shining blonde hair that glittered in the sunlight and an easy smile. "You're Tai Kamiya, aren't you?" She extended out a hand, completely ignoring the two girls who were standing there.

Tai nodded, "Sure am." He said, the old Tai confidence seeping back in easily.

"Zoe." She introduced. "You're on the soccer team."

Another nod, "I am." Everyone knew that, he had become a prominent member of the team by the end of the last season, the freshmen wonder boy.

He had no idea who this girl was though.

"My brother is Ryo Akiyama—well, step brother but still." She grinned.

"No way! You're Ryo's sister?"

"Yeah, small world huh?"

"I've known Ryo since soccer camp—not _that_ soccer camp though, guys." He gave his friends a knowing grin.

Matt just chuckled.

"Oh, I'm so rude." Zoe registered that there were other people besides the brunette there. "I'm Zoe." She extended a hand out to Matt. "I'm a freshmen at TU."

"You know, our friend Mimi here is too." Matt said, "And this is Sora." He made it a point to introduce the two girls that were now glowering daggers into the blonde's back.

She turned around, blonde hair moving behind her. "Nice to meet you guys." She said swiftly, her blue eyes sweeping over them. "Anyway, there's a party tonight. A guy I know—Sam, he's throwing it, it's at the Pi Sigma Delta house. You guys should come." She invited good-naturedly.

"Thanks, Zoe. We'll see you there." Tai accepted on their behalf, earning dirty looks from the two girls in his presence.

"Well, my friends are waiting. But it was nice meeting you guys." She gave a quick wave, before she was on her way.

"Real nice Tai." Sora deadpanned, before her and Mimi walked away as well.

Tai just looked over at his best friend. "Was it something I said?"

Matt just shoved his shoulder. "Let's get out of here, I'm hungry." He shook his head.

-x-

Mimi found her return back to Japan not just odd but also rather anticlimactic. Not that she was complaining. She also thought Matt would be a little bit more enthused to see her, but then he wasn't the most vocal of people so she knew couldn't expect too much.

What she found the most odd though was that she and Sora slipped into their old friendship as if no time had passed at all, let alone seven years. They were just children when she moved, now they were teetering on adulthood, starting a whole new chapter of their lives and it didn't feel as though they had missed out on anything at all.

"That girl was…"

Sora gave a short laugh, "I know what you mean." She said, settling on the bed beside Mimi's.

"Thanks, by the way. For situating the room thing, it would have been horrible if I had to be stuck with someone I didn't know."

"No problem, Meems. I'm glad to have you back." The redhead said sincerely.

"So, anything of consequence to tell me?" Mimi asked, begging for some juicy gossip.

"Well,..Kari is dating Davis." Sora pointed out.

"Knew that from facebook, saw it coming from a mile away. But continue." Mimi was very up on her social media.

Sora nodded. "So that's happening. Oh! Joe is with you know fan girl obsessed with Matt Ishida—" She snapped her fingers trying to recall the name.

"Shut up! Jun Motomiya!" Mimi shrieked.

"Yes! Her! Davis's sister." Sora laughed.

Mimi laughed too, clutching her stomach as her breath came out in pants.

The two of them tried to catch their breaths for a few minutes, as their laughter began to abate. "That's classic." Mimi wiped the corner of her eye. "Who could have seen that coming." She said, some residual laughter escaping her throat.

"I know." Sora agreed. "In a funny turn of events, Izzy actually left to study abroad. He got into the engineering program at Columbia."

"Wow…" Mimi let out a low whistle. "You know, he had a crush on me back in the day. Probably should've banked that in when I had the chance, he is going to be rich one day." Mimi sighed wistfully.

"Definitely."

"So… question. You and Tai?" Mimi raised an eyebrow.

Sora shook her head. "Uh do you see him, he's a dog in heat, _constantly_." She rolled her eyes fondly. "That's a for sure no, but we're still as close as before even if he gets on my nerves all the damn time."

Mimi smiled, "Well, I just thought I'd ask. Considering I just always thought it would happen." She confessed.

"You and everyone else." Sora said. "What about—

"No, me and Matt. Strictly friends." She couldn't entertain the possibility, not even for a second, because thinking about it meant letting her mind go there and letting her mind go there meant possibly ruining what they had and what they had was far more important to her than any temporary relationship could ever be.

She loved Matt, he was probably her best friend, whether she admitted it or not. He had made her transition into a new country so much easier and it wasn't even on purpose. He just did. He held her together when she felt like her entire life was falling apart, being ripped away from the people she had literally spent every waking moment with for almost two years. It was so hard at first, especially being so far, but he made things better. When she needed someone the most, he was there for her. And there was nothing in the world that could come close to meaning more than that.

"Dually noted." Sora held her hands up teasingly.

"Sorry, didn't mean to cut you off." Mimi apologized. "It's just not ever gonna happen."

Sora nodded, "So I guess we can be the four best friends anyone could ever have." She said with a smile.

"That sounds great to me."

-x-

 **A/N** : Surprise! Thought you'd seen the last of me?

So truth time, a couple of things happened between _then and now_. First, I lost the password to this account and I had no idea how to access it. After a while, I just gave up because it wasn't like I was doing much writing for it anyways.

I started writing a harry potter story ( ** _Shades of Green_** : a Draco/Ginny epic romance if anyone is into that sort of thing. Check it out, it's under the penname TJ King.) and stopped keeping up with this fandom as a whole.

But a couple months ago, something made me come back, just to check out the scene and it made me sad and nostalgic. I wanted to write for it again, and like do something Mimato but it also didn't feel right to post under my new penname because like, it just didn't. It felt all weird and not normal. So I tried really hard to find this account and the password and I did even though it took forever and a lot of work. So here I am, back with this.

I can't make any promises on updates, right now I have about two or three chapters written but you know me I'm kind of unreliable. This isn't gonna be long though, that's for sure.

Anyway, drop me a review, I wanna hear from you guys. And let me know who's still around! It'll be nice to see some familiar faces as well as hear from the new ones!

Thanks for reading, regardless!

 **References:**  
1\. Instagram: social media platform created to share videos and pictures  
2\. Twitter: Also a social media platform, sharing thoughts and ideas.  
3\. Facebook: Same as above.  
4\. Emoji: You know, those smiley faces you can use in texts and messages. The heart eyes emoji is just the smiley face with hearts for eyes usually used to indicate falling in love or finding someone really beautiful/hot. (Like me when I see Chris Hemsworth, for example)  
5\. Pi Sigma Delta is a made up fraternity, not sure of what the significance of frats are in Japan or if there are even any but for the sake of this story (and because they're pretty much a staple in America) I have made it a thing.


	2. The Grey Area

" _ **Slow Burn" (def)**_ **:** _An attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time._

-x-

 **Chapter Two:** _The Grey Area_

-x-

It was Friday already and what Mimi hadn't anticipated was her first week of Freshmen year would already be over. It went by in a haze of orientations and stumbling through campus to find her classes. It was a small blessing that she had Sora as a roommate, the girl had been a literal god send. And Mimi could safely say that it took absolutely no time at all for her and the redhead to get right back on track with their friendship.

She also couldn't help but notice how popular Tai was on campus, she had seldom hung out with him alone but the once or twice that she did there wasn't a five minute interval that went by where they didn't get interrupted by a cheerleader or a teammate or an acquaintance of his. It was no wonder the soccer star had such a big head.

What was the weirdest (and entirely too ironic) thing of though was that she had spoken to Matt less than she ever had in the past week than she ever had in the last seven years. For some reason, they had a very conflicting schedule, but she hoped since all of her freshmen orientations were now over and she had a good sense of the campus, they'd find more time for each other.

She missed her friend.

So when Matt showed up at her dorm around noon, Mimi tried her hardest not to show how thrilled she was at the thought of lunch with him.

"You're not a fan of your pizza huh?" Matt asked Mimi.

It was the first time they had been alone together.

Mimi shrugged a shoulder, "It's alright. I guess I'm still getting used to the food here." She sniffed.

"It's not New York gourmet so I assume it'll take _a lot_ of getting used to." He teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him, "I'm pretty good at the whole adapting thing, Ishida." She told him.

"Is that right?"

"Yeap, just like a chameleon, baby. Super blended and totally adjusted."

"Sounds more like a smoothie, if you ask me."

"Well did you hear someone asking you?" Mimi cupped a hand over her ear. "Yeah me either." She said after a second.

"Real mature."

And just to further validate his statement Mimi responded by sanctimoniously sticking her tongue out at the blonde.

Matt chuckled, "So do you really wanna go to this party?" One of Tai's soccer buddies, Sam, who Matt knew only by his relation to his friend Ken, was having a party at the frat house.

Mimi nodded, "I think it would be a good idea. Especially to like meet people and stuff." She had always been a social butterfly and unlike most people she didn't shy away from the unknown. If there was one thing her abrupt move to New York had done for her it was to give her a sense of self confidence that allowed her to thrive in new situations.

"Drunk people, which I'm not sure are that pleasant to meet."

Mimi rolled her eyes, of course this was his reaction because Matt being the eternal loner that he was, parties were so not his scene.

But for some reason, the cool demeanor and stand off-ish attitude really did attract quite a few number of ladies.

Well, perhaps they couldn't be classified as _ladies_ , but the gender all the same.

Mimi stole a French fry out of his plate, "It could be fun, Ishida." She said between bites. "Besides, maybe you could get the word out about your band or something?" She suggested brightly.

His band was on a temporary hiatus but he didn't want to dampen her mood by reminding her of that, especially when she looked so damn optimistic. "Maybe." He gave her a short smile.

"So Tai is a lot more tail crazy than I remember." By which she meant that he really would hit on anything with two legs and a female part between them.

Matt let out a small laugh. "Yeah, odd how that happened…" He said. "Thought you were basically the hottest girl he'd ever seen on campus when he first saw you."

Mimi blushed, "Shut up, no he didn't." She tucked her hair behind her ear sheepishly.

"Swear. Had to talk him off the ledge between friends and benefits." He winked.

Mimi looked down at her food, practically mortified, as the blush up from her neck. "Stop it." She said.

"Do you not think you're attractive?" Matt asked curiously.

Mimi briefly wondered if Matt had ever thought of her in the way that Tai did. She knew he thought she was beautiful, but she always chalked that up to the same sentiment her family had towards her, that she was a beautiful person, quote unquote.

But, hot? It was hard to imagine him thinking that.

Mimi shook herself out of her thoughts, "I mean, I've never had much trouble in that department." She said honestly. "But my embarrassment was more related to who was saying it than what was being said." She clarified.

"Ah, of course."

"Yeah."

"Well, if you were ever in need…"

"Yes, Tai is at my service. Got it."

Matt chuckled again as Mimi made a face at him. "Anyway, hotshot boy band lead singer guy, any college girls catching your eye?" She raised an eyebrow.

Matt cleared his throat, "Haven't really paid much attention if I'm honest." He said with a shrug. "There's no shortage though so I'm not worried." He assured her.

"Zoe was pretty." Mimi pointed out grudgingly.

The girls seemed like a total bitch, but truth be told she was drop dead gorgeous. And the eyes she made at Matt were pretty much obvious to anyone and everyone, probably except Matt.

"Zoe?"

"Cute girl, all legs and attitude. Came up to us that first day and invited us to the Pi Sig party." She reminded him.

Matt snapped his fingers, 'Right, the blonde." He said with a nod of recognition. "Yeah, she was definitely good looking." He remembered, but his tone was indifferent. "Not really my type though."

"What, not into leggy blondes with model-esque features." Mimi said, letting out a snort.

"Too high maintenance." He waved off. "I like simple, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

"Right, well you would know. You probably know me better than anyone else."

Mimi's eyes snapped up to look at him, it was kind of an unsaid fact between them that they opened up to one another more than anyone else, but this was the first time she'd heard him admit it. And it was validating because all the while she had assumed it to be true about herself, she knew he was basically the person who knew her best, she wasn't sure if she was that person for him.

He had all his old friends, old relationships, they didn't go anywhere and neither did he. He had no reason not to be just as close with Tai and Sora and Tk, if not more, as he was with her. She didn't have that bond with anyone else, no one she had bothered to keep in close contact with or vice versa. It had always just been him.

But to hear Matt tell her she was _that_ for him too, felt good.

"What?" He asked her, looking at her through quizzical blue eyes.

Mimi shook her head, "No, nothing." She said. "Though yes, I suppose if there is anyone who would be able to set you up efficiently it would be me."

"But please, do not take that as an affirmation of me wanting to be set up."

"Oh relax, Ishida. You haven't reached the blind date level of pathetic, _yet_."

"Not that you'd even have anyone to set me up with, I mean how many people do you even know here?"

"Just as many as you, probably." Mimi rolled her eyes.

Matt wasn't exactly what anyone would call _approachable._

"Touché. But I'm not going to be setting you up with anyone, _ever_. So that's kind of moot where I'm concerned."

Mimi sighed, "I don't think I'll be needing your assistance anyway. But thank you for the lack of consideration." Never in a million years though would she want to be helped on a date by Matt, it would be too weird.

"You know, it might be kind of bad for me to have you in my life in tangible form." He thought out loud.

"Hm, why's that?"

She took another fry off his plate as she waited for his answer.

"Well, I mean before, there wasn't much I could do if a guy broke your heart or whatever it is that happens to girls in relationships." He started. "But now… I mean it's different, I kind of _have_ to kick a dude's ass if he decides to screw you over." He said thoughtfully.

"You don't _have_ to do anything, Ishida." Mimi said levelly. "I'll have you know I'm practically an adult and can handle my own affairs with a lot more finesse and grace than that of which an ass-kicking could provide."

"See, I didn't get any of that. All I hear is affairs and ass-kicking. So the way I see it, you're giving me the green light to punch someone's teeth out if they cheat on you. Right?"

"You're incorrigible."

"Only when it comes to you." He winked.

"Use that charm somewhere it'll take, Ishida."

Matt chuckled again, "But that's the beauty of it, the fact that it doesn't take. I only use my charm on girls I can't have."

Wait a minute, was he… _flirting_ with her?

Mimi felt her eyes widen at the silent realization, "But that's by design, I've always assumed." She recovered, feeling slightly uncomfortable by the thought that had just invaded her mind.

She was definitely wrong, she had to be, Matt would never. He didn't see her that way.

"Ah, now what is it that happens when you assume?"

"Ass of me and you. I know, though I think this is less of 'a shot in the dark' scenario and more of an 'I'm almost certain but have never gotten verbal confirmation' scenario."

"And if there is no verbal confirmation?"

"What are you doing, Ishida?" Mimi demanded.

He began laughing. "Seeing how far I could push this until you got annoyed." He said between breaths.

Mimi tried to keep the frown on her face, her brows furrowed in irritation, but it wasn't long before she was lost in a fit of giggles herself.

She let out an inward sigh of relief, nothing was different, they were still the same and her coming here wasn't a mistake.

"You're ridiculous."

"And you ate all my fries."

-x-

The frat house was kind of like she had seen in the movies, except, well not. It was a lot more lavish and loud and there was a distinct smell of marijuana that hit her like a ton of bricks as soon as she walked in the door.

"Wow…" So this was college, huh?

The music was loud, practically deafening, the place was packed almost wall to wall and everyone had a drink in their hand.

"It's not too late for Netflix and monopoly." Sora nudged her.

Mimi shook her head, "No way. We came here to have fun and damn it if we don't!" She said determinedly.

Matt just shook his head, "Why do I have the distinct feeling this is gonna be a bad idea?" He muttered.

But no one heard him.

He looked to his right, to see Tai practically salivating at all the scantily clad girls and he knew he would spend the majority of the night playing wingman. The thought alone was enough to search for wherever they had the liquor.

"We're gonna head to the bathroom!" Mimi said, but the boys couldn't hear her.

So instead she pointed at her phone and let them know she would text them, before letting Sora pull her deeper into the house.

Matt barely got a chance to get a word in before he lost them in the crowd. But it wasn't long before he felt someone tap him on the shoulder, he turned around to a familiar pair of blue eyes. "You came!" She said with a smile.

She gave Tai a hug, before handing them both cups. "You two look like you need it." She said.

Was this tall, blonde and leggy that Mimi had been talking about?

"Zoe." She introduced herself again, seeing the slight look of confusion on his face.

Matt nodded, "So… nice party you got—

"Come meet my friends, both of you!" And before he knew it he was being weaved in and out of groups of people, Tai right beside him grinning like an idiot.

She stopped abruptly, a few people giving her nods of recognition which made it easy to assume that these were her friends that she was so eager to introduce them to.

"This is Rei." A girl of about five foot seven or so, with long black hair greeted them with a reserved wave.

She was beautiful, and Matt usually wasn't one to dole out that compliment lightly. His standards were a bit higher than Taichi's, considering the boy would basically nail down anything with a pulse, but she really was.

"Matt." He extended a hand out to her, she shook it without hesitation.

An unreadable look crossed Zoe's face, before she moved. "And this is Catherine and Relena." The other two looked a lot like Zoe herself, mirroring her blonde hair but one with green eyes and the other with cerulean respectively.

They, unlike Rei, gave flirtatious winks towards the two boys. "You're Tai Kamiya." One of them giggled.

Tai took a sip of his drink before straightening out his shoulders. "The one and only." He answered with a degree of coolness that Matt still was not used to.

"People are talking about you, you know? How you're going to put TU soccer on the map this year."

"You had a phenomenal year as a freshmen, my brother watched all your games."

"Well, tell your brother to come down for the meet and greet next Saturday, I'd love to meet him." He said smoothly.

Tai was a remarkable soccer player, there was no doubt about that, he lived breathed and slept soccer. It was his wife, mistress and girlfriend all in one, which explained why the brunette was yet to have a steady girlfriend. However, his over confidence always annoyed Matt, it was too show-boaty.

"Yes, you are incredi—" But Zoe didn't finish her thought, getting sidetracked by someone she saw.

She went after them, excusing herself.

"There you guys are!" Mimi announced from behind the two boys. "We leave for the restroom for like two seconds and you two disappear on us?" Matt turned to face a ticked off looking Mimi, arms crossed across her chest.

Sora, seemed equally as annoyed.

Matt leaned in a little closer to the petite brunette, "Sorry, we kind of got ambushed." He apologized loud enough so she could hear him.

Mimi just rolled her eyes, "You're forgiven." She said, taking his drink out of his hand.

"Look, look who I ran into Rye!" Zoe returned with a guy dragging behind her.

"Ryo! My man, how's it goin?" Tai greeted him with a handshake-hug. "Is the rest of the team here?" Tai wasn't much of a planner or a texter.

"Sam, obviously. JP & DM are around here somewhere, but you know curfew and all a lot of the guys were too scared." He laughed.

"Matt, how are you, my brother?" Ryo greeted Matt warmly.

Matt had met Ryo increasingly over the course of the last year as his and Tai's friendship began to grow.

Matt gave the brunette a silent nod, taking a sip of his drink.

His green eyes then settled on the two girls beside Tai.

"Sora, nice to see you again." He leaned in for a hug.

Sora reciprocated it with a small smile, "How was your summer?" She asked politely.

"Went off shore to the Caymans for a bit, can't really complain." It was no secret his family had money and with the way his step sister spent it, they had no other choice but to.

His eyes then fell on the brunette beside Sora. "Ryo Akiyama." He introduced, his green eyes discreetly panning the length of her. "And you are?"

"Mimi Tachikawa." She said, barely loud enough to be heard over the music.

"Mimi, that's a pretty name."

"Just two syllables repeating themselves, but thanks." She was disinterested, but he loved a challenge.

One of the blonde girls—either Relena or Catherine—took the opportunity to sidle up next to Tai, engaging him in a conversation.

"Oh! This is Sam." Ryo grabbed a guy who was passing by in a hurry. "It's his house."

Mimi just smiled, as Sora went up to greet him with another hug. This one was a lot less formal than the one she had given to Ryo.

The way Sam looked at Sora was also a lot less…formal.

Matt seemed to know him as the two of them exchanged some conversation as Sora came back to Mimi's side.

"Why does he look so familiar?" Mimi said quietly.

"Ken's older brother." Sora answered. "He's a senior."

After that emission, it all made sense, the raven hair, cobalt eyes. He was just a facial hair adorning, dimpled, older version of Ken Ichijoji.

And boy, was he handsome.

A few minutes later, the boys came back over to the fold but Tai was no longer visible.

"How's the old tennis arm, Sora?" Sam asked.

"A bit rusty." She hadn't really played since high school. "Surprised you remember." She said with a small smile.

"You shouldn't be." He winked. "Can I interest you in a drink?"

Sora exchanged glances with Mimi, silently asking her friend if it was alright with her. Mimi gave her a subtle smile and nod, encouraging her to go with the cute frat boy with the gorgeous house. "Details." She mouthed as the redhead accepted the dark haired boys invitation.

"Perhaps I can get you a drink as well?" Ryo asked Mimi.

"I've got one." She held up the drink she had taken from Matt's grip. "But maybe Matt's interested." She cocked her head toward the blonde with a smirk.

"I can get him one." Zoe jumped in, untangling herself from the conversation she had been having with Rei and the blonde who wasn't with Tai. "Join me?" She sent him a coy smile over her shoulder.

"I uh…" He was torn, because part of him did kind of want to go with her, she was absolutely beautiful and she was so obviously interested. But he also didn't want to leave Mimi alone, especially not around this Ryo guy who did not seem to be taking the very clear hint.

But Mimi shook her head, "Go." She gave him a light push in the girl's direction.

"No I think I'll—

"Matt." She gave him a patient look. "This is a _party_. We're supposed to mingle and meet new people and all that college jazz." She told him. "So go."

Matt stared at her. "I don't know." He said hesitantly.

"Matt, I'll be fine. I'm a big girl and it's just a party." She promised.

"Fine, I'll be back in literally five." He shoved his hands in his pockets. " _Don't_. _Move_." He instructed.

"Aye, aye." Mimi saluted him playfully.

"And then there was one?" Ryo wasted no time in taking the spot Matt had just vacated

Mimi sighed into her cup. "Hello." She said, before taking a long sip.

"So I'm becoming increasingly aware that perhaps my usual lines may be of no use in this situation."

"Perceptive."

He chuckled. "In my defense though, I usually just sort of walk up to a girl and I don't even need to introduce myself." He mentioned.

"What a humbling experience that must be."

"Quite the opposite, but I was sensing a great deal of sarcasm there so perhaps you already knew that."

"Wow and here I thought all jocks were dumb. Thank you, for just _shattering_ that stereotype." Mimi drawled.

Another chuckle, "You know, if I were sensitive and more in touch with my feelings I might be offended." He joked.

But it didn't even get the girl to crack a smile.

"That was a joke, because you were calling me a dumb athlete and typically they're not—

"I got it." She held up a hand. "But like…I have a question for you."

"Anything." He said eagerly.

"This whole you hitting on me thing is clearly not working, I mean you can see that… right?" She arched an eyebrow.

No response.

"And with a plethora of more than willing girls to choose from—ones who I might add, you wouldn't even need to introduce yourself to—why do you continue to waste your time?"

"Well, I don't give up easy." He answered. "Besides, I love a challenge. For example, I suck at crossword puzzles but every Sunday I do them anyway because well, see above."

"I hate crosswords."

"See, we're already getting to know each other." He winked. "Won't be long now."

"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you."

"Sooner or later, princess." He said with a grin, before walking away.

And even Mimi couldn't help but notice how cute that grin was. It wasn't that Ryo wasn't easy on the eyes, because he really was. The eyes, the hair, the athletic build and height, it was all there. Even had the right amount of confidence that teetered on being cocky but never actually crossed over.

But she wasn't a fan of athletes, they were too preoccupied.

Thankfully, she didn't have to think about it too much longer because Matt and Zoe had returned. She was mildly shocked that Matt didn't have an overly annoyed look on his face and even seemed like he might be having a decent time.

"Oh good, you're still here." Zoe said a bit breathlessly, which lead Mimi to wonder why exactly that was.

She didn't let her mind linger on it too long though because it was uncomfortable.

"Cute top, by the way." The blonde complimented. "Great color on you." Seemed sincere enough.

"Thanks, love the shoes." Mimi gave back an equally shallow compliment out of courtesy.

"So Matt tells me you just got here from America?"

Mimi didn't bother hiding her surprise at the fact that she had come up in their conversation. "Yes, well I moved there when I was eleven." She clarified.

"New York?"

The brunette nodded.

"Cool, I spent a couple summers there. _Great_ shopping."

Mimi nodded again, "Nothing like the City." She agreed.

"So what made you come back here?"

Jeez, this girl was invasive and coming from Mimi that really meant something. "New York's great, but this is home for me." She said, because there was no way she was gonna go into the specifics of the truth.

Seeing the growing look of discomfort on his friend's face, Matt decided to intervene. "Zoe here was telling me how she is also a drama major, isn't that something?" He chimed in.

"What a coincidence." Mimi said with a smile.

She really wasn't sure about this Zoe girl at all, but she decided not to come off too passive aggressive just yet because she had been the one who had been so pushy about coming out and meeting people and all that.

"Well, I'm technically undeclared." She said. "But drama seems like it would be fun."

"Yes, much more fun than being a _Physics_ major." She gave Matt a pointed look.

Matt laughed.

"Oh goodness, is Catherine _still_ with Tai?" Zoe changed the subject without warning.

"Yeah, they probably won't be back anytime soon." Matt said knowingly.

Mimi inwardly blanched.

"I um, am gonna go find Sora." She said, excusing herself.

Matt caught her wrist before she could get too far, "Want me to come with you?" He asked honestly.

She knew it wasn't to get away from Zoe, trying to use her as a diversion tactic, he was really asking out of concern. And while that as sweet, it was also unnecessary.

"It's okay." She shook her head. "I'll be fine." She closed her hand over his for a second, before removing it from wrist.

"Are you—

"Yeah, Matt. I am." She interrupted him. "Really."

He looked at her a second longer, blue eyes boring into her hazel ones.

Mimi shied away from the intensity in his eyes, breaking the contact as she walked away.

-x-

A/n: So that's chapter two, let me know how it was and all that. I appreciate all your views and reviews and look forward to hearing from everyone, hopefully with some comments, feedback or even criticism on how I can make it better :)

Other than that, I hope you guys like it and I'll see you next time!

Enjoy!


	3. A New Normal

" _ **Slow Burn" (def)**_ **:** _An attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time._

-x-

 **Chapter Three:** _A New Normal_

-x-

Why Tai was taking Freshmen Literature was beyond her, but in some ways it made sense because knowing him he either just didn't pass the first time around or didn't bother taking it. Either way, it was a coincidence when he strode into the lecture, only about a week and a half late.

He whistled to his seat, before catching Mimi's eye, with half a grin he changed directions and opted for the open seat beside her.

Mimi inwardly sighed, not because she minded Tai's company but more because she wasn't sure how being in class with the brunette would work out for her. He was a bit distracting when he wanted to be.

He looked as though he had literally rolled out of bed and it was noon, clad in a pair of loose red shorts and grey t-shirt that had TU Soccer written around a soccer ball, his usual cleats on his feet.

"What'd I miss?" he whispered.

"Oh only just about five lectures."

"Wow, well that's a personal best." He said, digging through his backpack. "Usually I show up about seven classes in." He mentioned, grabbing a beat up notebook and a chewed up pen, placing them on the small pull over desk.

Mimi just nodded, trying to get across to him that she was paying attention.

"So how'd you like the party Friday?" He asked.

"It wasn't bad." She answered.

Tai nodded, "I had a great time." He said with a face splitting grin.

"Seemed like it." She muttered.

"Seems like you gave Rye a pretty hard time though." He said conversationally. "Kudos. The guy can be real arrogant sometimes, yaknow?"

"Yes, and you would be an expert on that sort of thing, wouldn't you?"

"Ouch, you wound me."

"Unlikely."

Tai chuckled, "Not a bad guy once you get to know him." He stretched his arms above his head. "Real monster on the field." He folded his hands behind his head.

"Listen, Tai. As much as I love—

"Miss." The professor called out, his eyes set right now Mimi.

Everyone in the class turned around to look at her, and she shrank in her seat. "Y-yes." Her face reddened, inwardly cursing Tai over and over for putting her in this position.

"Since you and your friend are feeling so chatty, why don't you tell me your thoughts on what we've been discussed."

Mimi swallowed thickly. "Um, on what we've been reading, sir?" She asked meekly.

He gave her a hard stare, barely nodding.

"Yes, how about a basic comparison between Clytemnestra and Penelope?"

Mimi cleared her throat, "Well, they both have husbands who have been called to fight in the Trojan War, sir." She stated.

"Yes, them and almost all of Greece. What else?"

Mimi sat up a bit straighter in her seat, "Well, while Penelope was patiently awaiting Odysseus's return, rejecting suitor after suitor, forever believing that her husband would come back to her. Clytemnestra on the other hand, had long since taken a lover and the two began plotting Agamemnon's demise." She felt her confidence returning to her.

"Furthermore because of these stark differences, in modern analysis' of both works of literature, Penelope is always painted as the good wife, while Clytemnestra whose husband not only sacrificed their oldest daughter to the sea but also brought home a concubine, is always portrayed to be the villain." She finished.

The professor looked impressed, Tai looked impressed and Mimi herself was a bit impressed. She raised her chin up, nose in the air and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Very good." The professor said grudgingly. "What about you, number seven. Do you have anything to add?"

Tai just laughed, "No, sir. I think Mimi here just about covered it for the both of us." He said unashamedly.

The professor just shook his head, "Win that game against the Lions tomorrow and we'll call it even, ." He instructed.

"Always."

And Mimi just scoffed, rolling her eyes, because this was just so typical of Tai's life. Made her wish she had actually gotten into sports as a kid because maybe then she wouldn't have to put up with situations like this either. She could just coast through life on a soccer ball.

Once class ended, Tai waited at the door for Mimi as she got her things. "Hey, so I'm sorry you had to get put on the spot like that." He scratched the back of his neck.

She hated his boyish charm, because it was so hard to stay mad at him. "Yeah, it's fine. You're lucky I pay attention." She nudged him playfully.

"Gonna come to the game tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I um, I thought I would." She answered.

"Great, I've got tickets, field seats so don't bother buying them." He told her. "I'll just give 'em to Matt."

Mimi's eyes widened, she hadn't even thought of buying tickets. "Oh wow, you sure?" She asked.

Tai nodded, " 'course." He said with a grin that literally hurt to look at because it was so damn cute. "I think you'll have fun."

"Thanks, Tai. I really appreciate that." She smiled.

"Ah, it's nothing. Besides, you've never been to one of my games before… so the honor is all mine, Miss Tachikawa." He sent a wink in her direction and Mimi swore she felt her heart flutter.

She couldn't believe this was the same Tai who once went six days without showering.

The walk lulled into a bit of an awkward silence, the only sound between them being the shuffling of their feet. "So, you got another class after this?" He asked.

Mimi shook her head, "This was my last one." She told him.

"Jeez, how early are your classes?" He asked through wide brown eyes.

Mimi giggled softly, "Nine to one." She said with a shrug. "Gives me the day to myself."

Tai shook his head, "No way, I literally had to struggle to get to this one on time." He gestured behind him.

"So you going back to your dorm now or something?" He asked conversationally, to avoid another awkward silence.

"No, I told Matt I'd meet him at the library."

"Well, why don't you let me walk you?" He suggested.

"Sure."

"So you and Matt, is that like a… thing?"

"Nope, not a thing. We're just friends, strictly platonic." Mimi wondered if that was so hard to imagine nowadays, a girl and a boy over the age of twelve being only friends.

The look on Tai's face told her it obviously was. "So Ishida's never made a move on you, like ever?" He asked, the disbelief evident in his eyes.

Mimi blanched, "No, Tai." She lightly shoved his shoulder. "We don't work like that. 'Sides, up until like two weeks ago I was across the globe, kinda hard to make a move on someone via skype." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that." He pulled a hand through his brown hair, which no longer stuck up haphazardly but instead fell shaggily past his ears. "Well, give it time."

Mimi made a face, "Defintiely not." She assured him.

"Never say never, princess."

"Trust me, Tai. In this case, never _is_ never."

"Listen, I've seen girls drop like flies with one broody look from Yamato. If you are of the female species, you are not immune."

Mimi let out a long sigh, "You are still as stubborn as I remember." She mentioned.

"I'm nothing if not consistent." He winked down at her.

But he was, most things about Tai were pretty predictable mostly because he had a rather simple existence. Kari, Soccer, Friends, Girls. That was, in no particular order, the list of things that Taichi Kamiya cared about.

And he very much preferred it that way.

"So are you and that blonde girl a thing now?" Mimi inquired, more to change the subject than anything else.

Tai laughed, "Oh jeez, Catherine?" He asked. "No way. That was more of a one night thing. Maybe two nights if I'm super drunk. But never more than that." Tai was a strict non-repeater. There were too many women for him to limit his options in such a manner.

"Ew."

"You asked."

"I know and I really shouldn't have."

"Mimi." A familiar voice called out behind her. "Kamiya." He greeted, giving Tai a handshake hug thing that boys did.

"Hey, Matt."

"Alright, Meems. I'm gonna head to study hall, because the coach will have my head if I'm late the day before my game." He told her. "Matt, I'll see you back at the loft?"

Matt nodded.

"Catch you guys later." He said with a wave, before jogging over to a couple of his teammates.

"Would you believe that Tai is in my Freshmen Lit class?"

"Actually, I have no trouble at all believing that."

-x-

"We've gone through it like a million times, Matt. I just don't get it." Mimi pouted, "I don't have a math brain like yours." She dropped her head on the Calculus textbook she currently hated with a burning passion.

"You'll get it." Matt said, with an amount of patience that reserved for no one, well except Mimi, but that was because if he didn't then he would drive himself insane. "Look, this is just intro level stuff anyway—

"So you mean to tell me it gets harder!" She practically cried. "I'm done, I'm dropping this class. What do I need calculus for anyway." She slammed her book shut out of frustration.

Matt sighed, "Alright, come on." He encouraged her.

Mimi shook her head, "No way, let's go in your room and listen to music. That always brings my anxiety down a few notches." She suggested.

"If you insist." Matt shrugged. "But don't blame me tomorrow when you have a quiz and you can't tell slope from cosine."

"Shush."

The loft wasn't huge or anything, it wasn't particularly clean either, but it got the job done. Yamato and Tai liked it just fine, they both had their own rooms, regardless of how small or meager, and they didn't have to abide by the rules of the dormitory which was a bigger advantage. They'd only moved in a few weeks ago, so it wasn't completely furnished yet but neither boys cared too much for that, so long as they had a bed and a working lock on their bedroom doors.

"Did you and Tai room together freshmen year?" Mimi asked, sitting down on Matt's bed.

He nodded, "Yeah and it was a nightmare at the beginning, remember?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh right." She said thoughtfully. "I forgot, so much went on last year." She recused herself. "Brought home a lot of girls, huh?"

"A ton. It was like a revolving door of cheerleaders." He said, shaking his head. "It's so much better now that he's got his own room and I've got mine."

"It was nice of Sora to decline off campus housing so we could live together." Mimi mentioned. "I miss her, think we could call her over?"

Matt laughed, "I mean, I guess. Even though we were _supposed_ to be studying." He reminded her.

"Yeah but that got boring _so_ quickly."

"Studying isn't supposed to be fun, Meems."

Mimi opened her mouth to argue, when they heard a door slam shut.

Matt checked his watch, as a barrage of masculine voices entered the apartment.

"Yo, Matt!" Tai's voice resounded around the loft. "Hey, I know you're home. I mean where else would you be! Come out and hang with us, bro. I've got a surpr— He stopped midsentence when he threw open the door to Matt's bedroom.

Tai stood at the threshold, the look on his face a mix between apologetic and admiring, "Never mind then…" He made to grab the door handle. "I'll just see you two in the morning." He waggled his eyebrows such an obnoxious manner that it made Mimi drop her face into her hands. "I'll put a sock on the door for you, man—

Matt stuck him with a hard blue glare. "Don't be a dick, Tai. You know it's not like that." He said defensively.

A little too defensively, and Mimi wasn't sure why that kind of bothered her. Like his tone suggested that he would rather be eating a live cockroach than want to be in the kind of compromising position that Tai was clearly eluding to, with her.

She didn't want Matt to think of her that way, she just didn't like the idea of him being repulsed by her either.

She hated feeling so foreign to the relationship she had with Matt, as if there were times where she didn't really know where they stood with each other. Some parts of their friendship just seemed so much easier when she was away.

"Listen. You know our motto, no shame in my game."

"That's _your_ motto, Tai."

"Look, I was just gonna invite you to hang. A couple guys from the team are here, we're gonna kick back for a bit." He said. "But obviously you're otherwise disposed, so I will let you get back to that."

"It's _in_ disposed, you idiot." Matt squeezed the bridge of his nose. "And we'll be out in a second."

"We… will?" Mimi spoke for the first time since Tai had walked in.

"I mean, if you want. Or we could just study back on campus if you—

Mimi shook her head, "No, let's go." She decided. "You lead the way, Taichi." She said in a tone that was chillingly polite.

She hated Tai for making things momentarily weird between her and Matt.

Outside, in the sparse living area were three other boys besides Tai himself and a girl, most specifically, Zoe.

 _Of_ course.

Mimi resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Especially when the annoyingly pretty blonde's equally annoyingly pretty blue eyes practically lit up like a damn Christmas tree at the sight of Matt.

It wasn't that she was jealous, because she wasn't. It was more that Matt was her ride home and she didn't know anyone else well enough to impose on them. She hated the idea of awkwardly third wheeling it the whole night.

She recognized two of the boys there as Sam and, a grinning like an idiot, Ryo. The other boy, looked like a shorter, younger version of Tai.

He looked so familiar…

"Mimi."

"Davis!" Daisuke Motomiya, of course.

The boy had basically been in love with her when he was twelve.

Now he was obsessed with Kari and they were the cutest thing to happen to social media since kitten videos.

"Wait, but how are you… Aren't you like TK's age?" Mimi asked, mentioning Matt's younger brother who was still in high school.

"TU wanted me to play for them, so I kind of got my high school to fast track me a year so I could get outta there." He had never been all that smart, but he knew how to put his head to something and work for it.

Mimi hugged the younger boy and he eagerly hugged her back.

"Hey Matt, how's it going?"

Matt nodded, "It's alright." He nodded his head towards the other two boys. "Sam, Akiyama." He gave them a short a wave.

"Hey Matt." Zoe said demurely, her eyelashes fluttering. "Hi Mimi, it's nice to see you again." She said politely, getting up from her seat.

"Beer! We need beer."

"Chill, Tai. We've got a game tomorrow." Ryo said and for the first time Mimi heard him actually sound serious.

"Relax, Rye. One beer isn't going to give anyone a hangover." Tai waved off.

"It's never just one beer though, T." Ryo argued. "Come on, we've gotta have our head in the game—

"Chill out, Akiyama. I'm good." Tai cut him off, popping the cap off his beer. "Anyone else?"

"As the team captain I should probably abstain." Senior and star goalie Sam Ichijoji stated.

"Matt?"

Matt sighed, "Sure, toss one this way." He opened out his hands.

"My man! This is why you're _always_ my best friend."

"Thanks Tai, I needed that reassurance today."

"DM?"

Ryo cut Davis a glare, "Don't think about it Freshie." He said warningly. "T, what part of _Game_. _Tomorrow_. Do you know understand?" He seethed.

Tai ignored the boy again, "Mimi, beer?" He asked with a small grin.

The brunette made a face, she wasn't partial to beer, but she knew if she was going to get through the evening she would need some kind of buzz.

She opened her mouth to grudgingly affirm, when Zoe spoke up. "I've got wine." She stepped in. "No one needs your beer, Tai." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

"Careful with that Orimoto, I don't know where it's been."

Zoe ignored his crude comment, "It's in Ryo's car, wanna come down with me?" She asked.

It took Mimi a second to realize the blonde was talking to her, "Uh, sure." She said, sounding anything but sure.

Was this girl taking her down to the reception-less parking garage to kill her?

"Great." She smiled. "Rye, keys?" She held out a hand, palm up, to her step brother.

Ryo patted down his pockets as Zoe tapped her foot impatiently. He finally found them the pocket of his Adidas zip up. "Here." He tossed them to her.

"Come on, Mimi."

The rode the elevator down in silence, both girls on their phones. "So listen." Zoe started, when the elevator made a "ding" sound signifying they had reached their floor.

Mimi looked up from her iPhone.

"Maybe we got off on the wrong foot, sometimes I can be a little bit of a bitch without meaning it." The blonde continued. "Ryo says my demeanor can be 'off putting' and well, that wasn't my intention. So I guess I just wanted to apologize."

Mimi nodded wearily. "Sure. It's fine." She said. "But can I asked, why the change of heart?" Coz last time she'd seen the blonde it was as if she couldn't give less about what anyone thought of her.

"Well, you're obviously really good friends with Matt and Tai, and Tai and Ryo are practically glued to each other, you would think." She stopped to roll her eyes. "And I mean, Ryo's my brother so I … I guess I figured we'd be running into each other a lot." She said with a shrug.

"Keen observation."

"Okay… well, I just thought I'd apologize if I stepped on your toes."

Mimi let out a sigh. "It's fine. I'm not the most forthcoming of people so I guess we can call it even." She gave the girl a smile.

Zoe smiled back, "Great. So I've got a confession." Mimi's heart dropped at that statement.

"What…?"

"There's no wine in the car" She said with a light giggle. "But I thought we could go get some, if you're down for the ride?"

"Won't Ryo get mad you're taking his car?"

Zoe laughed, "Probably. But Ryo doesn't have to know." She winked.

Mimi raised an eyebrow, "Well in that case, lead the way… Barbie." She said, walking around to the passenger side of the black sports car.

Which sports car, she was unsure, but it was two doors and the seating was leather so Mimi wasn't complaining.

"You know, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."

And Mimi probably wouldn't go that far just yet, but it was a good place to begin.

-x-

"Oh! And it's another goal for number Seven, Taichi Kamiya!" The announcer's voice boomed through the stadium. "I gotta tell ya, folks, this is a game!"

It was tied, three goals to three, as the Tokyo University Tigers called a timeout.

"Shit, Tai is good, isn't he?" Mimi said to Sora who was at her right.

Sora nodded, "If there is one thing that Tai will always take seriously, its soccer." She said knowingly.

And Mimi could clearly see that.

The referee blew the whistle, allowing the game to continue as both sets of players came back on the field.

"Number three Jiro Yamada of the Lions brings it up the field, you can see Ichijoji looking anxious now. Yamada has been the only Lions player that has scored on the Senior goalie all game."

Mimi had never thought of herself as a "sports" person, she was never all that interested in the games or the competitive nature of it all, believing that it garnered more hostility than anything else. But tonight, she felt it.

There was something so different about the game tonight, the way that the entire school seemed so united behind their soccer team, everyone consumed by a singular goal—literally & figuratively. The air was charged, the tension was palpable.

"Jiro Yamada is _the_ player to watch, people, and this was definitely his coming out party. His sharp tenacity and agility seems to be of no match for our normally speedy Tigers offense." The announcer said excitedly. "And Yamada has a lane to the goal, clear of defenders, this is his shot and he knows he has to take it now with Akiyama fast on his heels."

"And there goes the ball! I gotta tell you, this is boy has to be the potential to be the Freshmen Standout of the year."

The crowd, including Mimi Sora and Matt waited on bated breath as the ball seemed to soar through the air in slow motion.

The kick was high, the ball going towards the top corner of the goal that was the most difficult to defend. Sam jumped for it, the tip of his middle finger just barely grazing the ball. But it was enough to tip it out of the net.

The entire stadium let out a collective sigh, as noise makers and blow horns resounded around, in cohesion with the sound of hundreds of fans on their feet, screaming and clapping.

"And a beautiful save by Ichijoji! The Tigers aren't out of the game yet!"

"Wonder boy, Sam." Mimi elbowed Sora with a wink.

Sora just rolled her eyes, as she continued to cheer.

"Yamada with the ball again, he's taking it back up the field, he has a clear open lane and this boy does not miss twice—oh the ball is kicked out from under him by Akiyama!" Ryo took possession of the ball as Jiro Yamada fell to the ground.

A whistle blew, stopping all the players in their tracks. "It looks like the refs are going to review that play, seems like Akiyama might have used unnecessary force on that play."

Mimi looked at Matt, "Is that right? Did that happen?" She asked, she had absolutely no idea.

Matt furrowed his brows, "No." He said, in clear irritation at the call. "It was a clean steal." He said honestly.

"The Tigers could be looking at a penalty for what most would consider Akiyama's game saving maneuver."

She saw Tai gesticulating wildly with his arms as his coach motioned for the wild haired boy to calm down, they didn't need another flag for player misconduct while they were at it.

"The refs are at an impasse, with Henri Lang convinced that there was a missed call on the field but the other two seem to be sticking to the original call which was a fair steal."

The game would be over if the Lions were awarded a penalty kick considering it would be awarded to Jiro Yamada who had missed one goal all game. And there definitely wasn't enough time on the clock for the Tigers to make up a whole goal.

Finally, the main ref came back on the field, waving his arms down.

The crowd erupted into a mass of cheers and screams and Mimi figured that must mean that it was still Tiger ball.

"It seems that by popular decision, the ball will be given back to Tigers but must be taken up from midfield!"

There was a collective groan heard through the stadium as the cheering turned to jeering very quickly.

But the Tigers were not to be deterred, the boys coming back on the field with renewed vigor and strength.

"Number four brings it up the field, he's trying to find an opening as Yamada starts closing in on him—

Ryo kicked the ball out a millisecond before Jiro Yamada caught up to him, the ball sailing out towards right field which was littered with Lions players.

"Oh and a desperate kick by number four sends the ball wayward into Lions territory, this could be the end, folks— _TAI KAMIYA WITH THE BALL_!"

"Somehow, golden boy Tai Kamiya managed to find an opening quick enough for number four to get to him."

Mimi didn't realize she had gotten up on her feet until she was yelling through cupped hands. Beside her, Matt and Sora were screaming just as ridiculously as Tai began running the ball towards the Lions goalie.

"There's the kick!"

Once again, the stadium and all its hundreds of people went quiet, the ball floating towards the goal. The kick was low causing the Lions goalie to dive towards it his arms reaching out towards the projection of the ball.

But he was just an inch or two off, as it whizzed right past his ear and into the goal.

The Tigers had won.

-x-

"I think I'm gonna go to try outs."

"For?"

"Cheerleading."

Mimi and Sora were getting ready for class, exchanging small talk as they did.

"Hm, really?"

The brunette nodded, "I mean I think it'll be a nice way to get involved. Besides, I was a cheerleader for all four years in high school and while I kind of hated it at the end, I miss it now."

Sora just nodded, grabbing a light cardigan from her closet.

"Will you tryout with me?"

"Cheerleading?"

Mimi gave an exasperated sigh, "Yes, Sora. Obviously, cheerleading." She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Sora looked at her as though she had grown a second head, "Meems, seriously?" She asked, raising a strawberry blonde eyebrow. "Do I _look_ like a cheerleader to you?" She gestured at her appearance.

"I mean no one looks like a cheerleader. But I think you'd be good at it, hell you're probably more athletic than anyone on that team. And anyway, it'll give us something to do together." She pulled out the pout.

"Mimi, do I seem like the type to jump around in a skirt screaming about a sport I'm not playing?" She asked frankly. "Last time I've ever even worn a skirt was my tennis tournament in high school, if that even counts as one."

"Okay, look its not about the skirt. Its about _pride_ and unity and all that crap they really try to sell you on during freshmen orientation." She walked up to the redhead. "And if you hate it you can quit, promise. I'm just asking you to try." She held her hands up, begging.

Sora let out a heavy sigh without saying anything.

"Please? _Pleeeeeease_!"

Sora made a show of rolling heer eyes, "I'm gonna hate it." She said warningly.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She threw her arms around the redhead gratefully.

Sora patted the brunette's back reluctantly, "Yeah, yeah." She said, a small smile cropping up on her face.

The courtyard was always packed on Wednesdays between twelve pm and one pm, it was the only time that no classes were allowed to be in session due to Student Activities Hour.

"Sora, a cheerleader?"

"Yes, Matt. That's what I said." Mimi shook her head, "Why is everyone so shocked by that?"

"I mean… have you met Sora?" He said, as if the rest was self explanantory.

"I have and I think she might enjoy it."

"Yeah, I doubt it but you have fun with that."

Mimi shoved his shoulder, "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother sharing things with you." She said with a small frown.

"I do too."

"Rude."

"So basically, if you make it—

"When, I make it." Mimi amended.

"Right, whatever. When you're on the team, you'd basically be cheering for… Tai."

Mimi thought about it for a second, "Well, yeah. I guess. But not specifically or anything. Besides, from what I've heard about the soccer team at TU they're supposed to be the best collegiate team in Japan. Can't be so horrible cheering for them." She said with a shrug.

"No I'm sure it won't be, The soccer players are treated like superstars though, you'd be one of those doe-eyed, drooling, have me I'm yours, type of girls." He mentioned. "All obsessed and airheaded."

Mimi gave him a look of exasperation, "Okay, if I'm not like that now, why would my personality change because I'm on the damn cheerleading team?" She kinked a perfectly arched brow. "I just wanna do it because I like being a part of something."

"So join the drama club, that would actually be _useful_ for your major."

"You know Matt, I love you and all but would it just _kill_ you to be supportive sometimes?" And with that he grabbed her books off the bench they were sitting on and left.

Matt just shook his head, sometimes she could be so sensitive.

-x-

He hated the fact that the idea of Mimi cheerleading annoyed him, but it really did. Annoyed him so much that he barely spoke to the brunette the whole day because every time she texted him, he just wanted to chuck his phone out of the window.

What was the most irritating about it was that he wasn't even all that sure what it was about the whole thing that annoyed him the most. The fact that she'd be cheering for those stupid douchebag soccer guys, prancing around in a tiny midriff outfit or the fact that she would attract so much unwarranted male attention it could literally made his head spin.

Rationally, he knew, those were not good enough reasons to actually get that annoyed over. He didn't have feelings for Mimi, he was just so protective over her. He was always concerned about her, even now that she was on the same campus as him, he still worried about her.

She was just so… innocent, in so many ways.

He sat on the steps to the Physics building, they were wide and marble and overlooked the gardens and it was a place he liked to come to think sometimes.

"Ishida?"

Matt turned around to see the face of one of his good friends, Ken Ichijoji.

Matt just gave a short nod.

Ken took a seat beside the blonde, "What are you doing here?" He asked.

Matt shrugged a shoulder, "I got out of my lab early, I'm waiting for Tai so we can go home." He answered.

They often carpooled to campus, but Matt always regretted coming on days where the brunette had practice.

"Why do you seem like you just had someone tell you your dog died?" He asked, as he watched the blonde fish out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

Matt shrugged a shoulder, "Stressed, I guess." He said, popping a cigarette between his lips. "Adjustment after summer break is always weird." He admitted, as he lit the stick.

He offered the pack to the raven haired boy beside him wordlessly, Ken shook his head. "I hear your pen pal moved here?" Ken was pretty removed from the group in general, choosing to stick with his own friends who were all academically inclined to harder classes and more rigorous course loads.

He wasn't one to attend parties or go to nightclubs, preferring to work on assignments or play video games in his spare time.

But he always kept in contact with Matt, not just because of their involvement with the band but because he actually got along with the blonde. Their personalities were introverted and similar.

He understood Matt on a very basic, instinctual level and vice versa.

"Mimi?" Matt asked.

Ken nodded.

"Yea, she's here." He answered.

Ken looked pensive for a few minutes, "Do you… have feelings for her?" He asked thoughtfully.

Matt raised his eye brow, blowing smoke out of his mouth. "Of course not." He said immediately. "It's never been that way between Mimi and I."

"Perhaps not before, she was in another country after all." Ken said. "But now… well, things wouldn't be as hard or complicated, would they?"

Matt shook his head, "It isn't like that, Ichijoji." He maintained. "I'd never jeopardize our friendship that way." He said honestly, because he wouldn't.

It had taken a lot of time for him to become as comfortable as he was with the brutnette. He had never allowed himself to open up that way to anyone and he knew that was partially because she was so far away.

It was easier to talk about feelings and such when you couldn't actually see the person.

He knew she felt the same, there was no way she would want to risk their friendship for some unresolved feelings or raging hormones.

Mimi was beautiful, there was no denying it. He knew that if he let his mind go there for even a second, the sexual attraction would be inevitable. But he needed her as his friend a lot more than he needed her as anything else.

She was too important, too special to ever be anything less than one of the most valuable people in his life.

He couldn't imagine a day where he wouldn't have her as his confidante.

Ken rubbed a hand over his cropped hair, "I just mean to say that perhaps sort out anything you might feel before things start to get messy." He finished with a small smile.

Matt just shook his head, "I appreciate it, man." He said sincerely. "But we're good."

And he meant it, he just knew he had to get used to having her around physically and not just emotionally. There would be an adjustment period, but he was positive they would get through it and find a new normal for themselves.

They just had to.

He couldn't lose her.

-x-

A/N: Hi!

 **Thank you all for all the overwhelming support and encouragement** it means the world to me, you guys are honestly the best readers and I'm so happy to be writing for this fandom again. I'm also trying to be better about updating, so hopefully that come across as well.

 **Honestly, to all my reviewers you're amazing**. I literally can't help but have the biggest smile on my face when I read your comments, it really makes writing so much better. I promise to have personal replies in my next author's note, I'm just a bit rushed at the moment.

I just had a quick question for you all—I've noticed a lot of inquiries about my previous work and if I'll be updating or not, to be honest I don't really have an answer. **So if you could do me a favor and in your review also just tell me which of my old stories (any/all) you would like updated (as in would actually read and review)** and I will definitely think about how I would go about it.

I would really really appreciate the input, it would help me out a lot!

Aside from that, you're all the most wonderful people ever and I hope to hear from you very soon!


	4. Ch-Ch-Changes

" _ **Slow Burn" (def):**_ _An attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time._

-x-

 **Chapter Four:** _Ch-Ch-Changes_

-x-

"That's a really nasty habit, Yamato."

She hardly _ever_ used his first name.

He dropped it to the floor, "Sorry, Mimi." He stamped it out with his foot for emphasis.

Had it been anyone else, he probably would have lit another one literally out of spite. That pesky rebellious nature of his always seemed to rear its ugly head in situations where his choices were being judged.

But then there were her _eyes_ and the way she pursed her lips with a twinge of disappointment…

There were seldom things that bothered Mimi Tachikawa. So when her tone suggested she was slightly unhappy with something, he had this instinct to try and fix it.

It was annoying, that urge to want to make things better for her. Annoying and confusing, because he couldn't really give a damn about anyone else's feelings in regards to his actions, unless of course they were directly affecting them somehow.

But with her, it was different. Somehow, some way, it had become different.

She sat down on the bench beside him, "Why?" She questioned, wrinkling her nose a little for he sake of being dramatic.

He fought the urge to grin, "Why what?"

"Why do you, how did you even…" Yamato had always been just a little _"too cool"_ from the day she had met him. In an effortless way though, much like his messy blonde hair and icy blue eyes.

That aura of carelessness basically exuded off him, it was just his nature.

But she never took him to be one to pick up a habit just for the sake of it being "trendy" or "cool"—he just didn't operate that way.

"Stress, I guess." He had a tough major. "I don't know." It wasn't something he was entirely proud of or something he condoned, but he didn't hide it either.

Like any other vice, it just was.

She simply nodded, didn't say much else, seemingly satisfied for now by not only his answer but also by his attempt to placate her by putting it out when she expressed her distaste.

"Anyway, I made the team." She said breezily.

He felt like lighting another cigarette.

"Did you?" He deadpanned.

"Don't sound _so_ exuberant, please." She rolled her eyes. "It would just kill you to be supportive, huh?"

"I don't see the appeal, but if it makes you happy then I'm..." He stopped for a second. "happy for you."

"Sora _hated_ it." Mimi continued, "She made it, they picked her coz I mean she's super athletic and totally beautiful, so why wouldn't they. But she said she won't join." She finished with a small pout.

Matt felt his face break into a small smile at her childish dejection. "You'll make more friends this way." He had to try really hard not to say "I told you so" but it was pretty much a given that Sora Takenouchi would not be partaking in anything that involved prancing around, screaming her head off or wearing a midriff-miniskirt combo.

"I suppose so." She flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"So, how was the Calc quiz?" He asked.

She shrugged a shoulder, "I knew some of them, like the ones we went over." She chewed her lip. "I guess we'll see on Friday."

"I'm sure you did fine."

"Whatever, it's over. No use in talking about it." She was flippant, but he could tell this was going to bother her, not in an all-consuming way but instead in that annoyingly, just beneath the surface way, until Friday when she would find out her mark.

"So, Zoe is on the team." She mentioned casually.

Matt nodded, "That's nice. At least you know someone." He offered.

"I don't know how to feel about it though." She said pensively, there was something about her initial interaction with the blonde that still left a bad taste in her mouth.

They had gotten along fine enough at the loft, after a few glasses of wine it was easy to pal around with anyone.

While the girl had been more than forthcoming at try outs, almost overly nice to the point where it was starting become less and less believable. There was something that just didn't settle the right way with her…

Maybe it was the blonde's mega-watt smile or how she tumbled across the mat like she weighed five pounds soaking wet.

Regardless, whatever it was, it made Mimi want to tread very cautiously when it came to her.

"I think she seems nice enough." By which what he really meant was he thought she was hot.

But that was all there was to it.

Zoe Orimoto was beautiful and Matt Ishida would have to be blind or have an aversion to the female gender not to think so.

Mimi blew up a strand of her hair, "I guess." She grumbled. "How are things with you?" She asked because she tended to be a tad self-absorbed sometimes.

She knew that about herself, unfortunate effect of living in a _Mimi_ - _bubble_.

She was fortunate enough to have found people who looked past that little flaw though.

"I'm okay, Meems." He said with a small smile, in a tone he hardly regarded anyone in.

She'd always kind of been prioritized, treated like a princess by default because she was one of the younger ones of their group and because going from a life of luxury and lavishness to dirt sleeping bags and open fire dinners, the adjustment was the hardest for her..

It was easy to lose patience with Mimi, but he had built up a tolerance over time.

"Okay, vague." She rolled her eyes. "I mean like how _are_ you?" She asked again. "I feel like we hardly ever talk anymore, Matt." There it was, back again, her too adorable for words pouted out bottom lip.

"Ironic, isn't it?"

"And you know how much I don't appreciate irony." In fact, she hated it.

Irony was too bitter for her.

He chuckled, "I think we just don't talk as much because there isn't much to talk about anymore." Their lives had almost seamlessly intertwined.

They went places together, studied together, took meals together, had the same friends. The adjustment was practically unnoticeable.

"I don't like the sound of that." She warned. "I want us to _always_ be close."

"And we will be."

"Do you promise?"

His initial, innate reaction was to nod yes. To tell her she was worrying for nothing, as usual. That she had too much time on her hands and she was just being silly.

But something caused a delay in his reaction, and he hesitated for the briefest of seconds.

It was in that moment that she chose to look in his eyes, and he knew she sensed the reluctance because there was a slight look of sadness that passed through her own.

Still, he shook his head. "Of course I promise, Mimi." He said smoothly, as if there hadn't been even a moment lapse between her question and his answer.

She didn't look convinced, not even in the slightest, but she didn't say anything. Which was so unlike her, but he understood it all the same.

"I promise too." She said, he voice unsure and barely above a whisper.

He pressed a kiss into the side of her head, a tender display of affection which he hardly ever showed to anyone.

But there was something about a melancholy Mimi that made anyone want to give her a hug and cheer her back up.

Luckily, Mimi wasn't a hard girl to please.

"Wanna get ice cream?"

Her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

-x-

The celebration was meant to be kept small, just the team and few friends at the soccer house. They were explicitly told by the coach to keep the debauchery to a minimum.

But if there was one thing that would take Tai Kamiya right out of the "party mood" it was seeing his baby sister, his little ball of sunshine surrounded by soccer players and frat boys.

He had barely stepped foot into the soccer house when he made a beeline for the petite brunette. "What are you doing here?" He asked her, in a tone he reserved just for her.

Kari just raised an eyebrow. "Hello to you too, brother." She said with a smirk.

Tai wasn't amused. "I mean it, twerp. What are you doing here?" He asked her again.

"Celebrating my boyfriend's first college win, is that a crime?" She placed her hands on her delicate hips, staring up at her brother through defiant caramel eyes.

 _Boyfriend_ , he almost outwardly blanched at the word.

Davis and Kari had been together close to a year now, and Tai still chose to ignore their union. He hated thinking of his teammate and friend with his hands all over his sister on his down time.

It was easy to pretend like Kari and Davis weren't a thing because Kari was all the way in Odaiba. But right now, when she was in his face, wearing a top he thought was a little too revealing and shorts he wished were longer… well, it was next to impossible to overlook.

"I didn't know you were coming up."

"Do I have to tell you?"

"Yes, if you're visiting my college, a phone call would be nice."

"Didn't know you owned Tokyo University, Tai. I'll be sure to put that on my applications next year."

"It's just weird, Kari." He said pointedly.

Her eyes softened, "Yeah, I get that." She told him. "But I mean… is it really so bad?"

He hated her puppy dog eyes, "It's not comfortable." He stated. "I don't want to see any PDA and you need to change the shirt."

She knitted her eyebrows, he could see the beginning of an argument forming in her mind.

He held up a hand, "You didn't even tell me you were visiting, Kar." He said. "And by the way, it was my win too."

She felt a little guilty, "Alright, I'm sorry." She conceded. "Congratulations, I saw the whole thing on t.v. You were amazing, Tai."

Tai grinned a little, "It was a good game." He admitted.

"Miracle save at the end." But she wasn't surprised in the least, it was what he did.

She had always been his number one supporter, loudest cheerleader, biggest fan and his harshest critic.

If there was one person in the world he trusted with his very best interests, it was the young woman standing in front of him. He knew there would never be a day where Kari would want anything less than the very best for him.

"I'm still texting Sora about the shirt." He said. "I should really talk to Ryo about not to letting you in here next time." He muttered as an afterthought.

Kari sighed, maybe the top was a little too low cut anyway. And if it would make Tai less overbearing for the night, she would take it. "Sure." She chose to ignore the under the breath comment about her being banned from the soccer house.

"And you're sleeping at the loft tonight, Hikari." His tone changed from playful to authoritative in seconds. "I hope you didn't think any differently." So he wouldn't bring a girl home tonight, it wasn't the end of the world.

Because there was no way in hell he would ever let his baby sister spend the night at an all boys house with his teammates, no way, not on his watch.

Kari felt a light blush creep up her neck, "Okay Tai." She said in a small, slightly embarrassed voice.

While she had thought maybe she would spend the night with Davis at the house, she knew it was highly unlikely.

Davis appeared with two drinks in his hand, "Hey, Tai. " He said sheepishly. "How's it going man?" He handed a cup to Kari, dipping his head to place a kiss on her cheek.

Even though Tai had technically given him the green light to date Kari before he ever asked her out, there was an air of awkwardness that appeared when the subject was broached. Right now, with the three of them, it was practically palpable.

"I've got my eyes on you, Motomiya. No fucking funny business." He growled, taking the other cup from his young doppleganger, before walking away.

"Ignore him." Kari said with a roll of her eyes, "I'm excited about being here with you." She reached up and put her arms around his neck.

He bent down and placed a delicate kiss on her lips, "Happy to have you here, babe." He said with a soft smile. "You look beautiful, if I haven't already told you."

"Only a hundred times since you've picked me up." She winked.

"Not nearly enough then."

"My, my. Someone's got game, since when?" She kinked a playful eyebrow.

"You're with a college man, now. I've become more suave—more smooth in my time—

Kari put a hand over his mouth, "You're ruining it." She laughed.

He grinned behind her hand, littering her palm with wet kisses until she let go.

-x-

Sora walked into the house, Mimi in tow, after receiving a cryptic text from Tai about bringing an extra shirt. She didn't question it though because Tai was weird and he made weird requests all the time.

"Glad to see you again, Sora." The charming goalie said behind her.

Sora held back her smile, before turning around. "Sam, how are you." She gave him a friendly hug.

"Mimi, lovely as usual."

Mimi just nodded, "Good game." She said.

Sam frowned a little, "Not one of my best, but I assure you better games are ahead." He said smoothly.

"I could have sworn my younger brother had accompanied you?"

"Him and Matt are just…." Mimi trailed off, she wasn't suer where the duo had sped off to.

Though Sam had a knowing look on his face, "Well, how lucky for me I get to host not one but two beautiful ladies." He extended an elbow to Mimi. "Shall we get some drinks then?" He suggested.

Mimi and Sora exchanged glances, "Lead the way." Sora said with a smile.

"Kari!" Sora yelped as they got into the kitchen.

Kari turned around, before flinging herself at the redhead. "Sora!" She said immersing herself in a hug with the girl who had always been like an older sister to her. "You look amazing, I missed you!"

Sora hugged back with just as much enthusiasm. "Me! Look at you!" She backed away. "Since when are you allowed to look this hot!" She complimented.

"Since never, apparently." Kari said dryly.

Sora nodded, "I take it the shirt was for you." She said with half a smile.

Kari rolled her eyes, "Do you even know my brother. Of course it was for me." She sighed.

"Hey Davis." Mimi waived to the boy who was towering over his tiny girlfriend.

It was only next to six foot tall Davis that Mimi noticed how small little Kari actually was. All skin and bones and barely five feet tall.

"Mimi."

"Hey, Kari."

She was enveloped in a warm hug shortly after that, "You look great, I missed you." She murmured honestly.

Kari and Sora slipped easily into an enthusiastic conversation involving mutual interest in the other's life in the weeks since they had seen each other and old inside jokes. One which Mimi could only offer a few nods and polite smiles because she just hadn't been around for any of those memories.

And she knew that Sora and Kari weren't trying to leave her out or even knew that she wasn't participating because they couldn't help it. It was just one of those things she knew she would have to get used to eventually.

"Hey" She felt a light touch on her shoulder.

She turned around to face a familiar set of blue eyes, "Hi." She said with a small smile.

He nodded his head towards a quieter corner, she instinctively followed him, sipping on her drink as they went. Mimi chuckled at the sight of Tai already in the midst of a keg stand, while his teammates cheered him on in typical male fashion, hooting and hollering away.

"You looked a little lost." He mentioned.

Mimi nodded, "You know what they say about the face of home and all that." She said easily.

"And changed it has." He agreed. "But you're not the same either."

"Where were you before? I didn't see you when I walked in." Tai and Matt were sort of joined at the hip, she just sort of got used to seeing one with the other.

Matt shrugged a shoulder, "I was around, I guess you just weren't looking in the right places." He said, the ghost of a grin dancing on his lips.

"Don't mistaken my curiosity for interest, Ishida."

"Way to just crush a man's heart, Mimi."

Mimi stuck out her tongue, "As if." She said, adding a "pfft" at the end for emphasis.

They stayed quiet for a bit, sipping on their drinks as they looked around the party. The silence was comfortable as it always was between them because they had grown accustomed to bouts of non-conversation during the time they had spent speaking solely over the phone.

Mimi remembered holding her breath in those instances, wondering which stretch of silence would be the time Matt would choose to take his leave. She never wanted him to hang up, especially at the beginning, when all that tethered her to home was his voice.

She looked at him, through the corner of a hazel eye, internally appreciating all he had been for her in the past few years. Sometimes, she thought she didn't give him enough credit for keeping her in touch with all the things that went on back home. But other times, she thought he probably didn't even realize what he'd done for her

Or how much he meant.

"You know." Mimi started, her eyes on Kari and Davis. "I always thought she would end up with your brother." She jutted her chin out towards the pair of brunettes, the male trying his hardest to coax his girlfriend into a dance.

Matt chuckled, "Things never to work out the way we imagine, huh?" He said. "I mean people always thought I'd end up with Sora, out of some reverse oedipal complex."

"What? Because of the lack of motherly presence in your life?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Something along those lines, yes." And at the beginning when they had first returned from the digital world, he really missed Sora.

He even thought it was because he might be in love with her.

But sooner rather than later he realized that missing was more because he missed her warmth, her energy, her compassion and her nature. The way she could say a few things, mutter some assurances and they would all feel better.

Exactly the way a _mother_ would.

He understood an attachment like that could never be healthy or enough to build a stable relationship upon.

Once his life began to feel like his life again, he never really revisited the Sora subject.

"You liked her." Mimi stated as if a revelation had just dawned on her.

Matt shook his head, "Of course not." He said, because admitting to Mimi that he once had a thing for Sora was kind of embarrassing and felt a little too awkward.

It was one thing venting to her about a nameless faceless girl she had never met. But _Sora_ , for all intents and purposes her best friend, _Sora_ , that was a whole different subject entirely.

One he wasn't prepared to tackle in the slightest.

"You did, you must have."

"You would know if I had, Mimi."

He wished he had never brought up the conversation at all, he should have let her prattle on about Hikari and Daisuke's relationship for the rest of the night… it would have been better than this.

Mimi let a slow smirk envelop her face, "I can see right through you, Ishida. You were into her." She said smugly.

Matt wiped his hands down his shirt, "Think what you want." He said coolly.

Mimi rolled her eyes, "Anyway, like I was saying." She changed the subject. "I always thought Kari and TK would…"

"Teeks has had the same girlfriend since middle school. They're pretty steady." She was a nice girl and from the limited interactions Matt had had with her, she seemed like she had a good head on her shoulders.

But he didn't see TK all the much since he started university, let alone his significant other, so really he wasn't sure of anything.

"Really?" She asked, eyebrows raised. "That Aeris girl you once told me about?" She asked, vaguely recalling a conversation about TK and his beau when they first began dating.

Matt looked slightly impressed by her memory, he hadn't talked of TK's love life often, "Yes, that's her." He nodded.

"Is she pretty?"

"She is."

Mimi nodded, "Well good, TK deserves a nice, pretty girl." She said, satisfied.

"Don't we all." Matt murmured.

"Shouldn't be too hard for a stud like you." Mimi winked.

Matt gave a short laugh, "Oh you've got something under your eye." He noticed, a tiny little hair resting on the groove between her eye and cheekbone.

She tried flicking it off, missing it every time.

"Stop, I'll get it."

He reached his thumb over to her, gently sweeping it across the cheek as he removed the eyelash from her face.

She was acutely aware of every part of him in the moment, how the slightly rough pad of his thumb felt against her soft skin. How intently his eyes settled on her face as he did it. The way his breathing became a little sharper, a little faster, at the contact. How even with the music blaring and people talking, she could hear his heart beat speeding up. The way he smelled, how had she never noticed how luxurious that smell was.

And then she met his eyes, as his fingers reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

There was something about that moment that made Mimi flush, with embarrassment or something else, she wasn't sure. Because there was something in that gesture that felt different. Not like a chaste kiss on the cheek, or a comforting embrace when she was feeling down. That moment felt...

 _Intimate_.

And all the implications that went along with that word was what she couldn't shake.

"Hey Ishida." A voice caused Matt immediately drop his hand from where it had been.

He cut his eyes to look above Mimi's head, where Ryo Akiyama stood, a stupid grin plastered on his face.

The blonde stood up a little straighter, "Ryo." He greeted with a head nod.

"If you aren't in the middle of something, I was hoping to borrow the lovely Miss Tachikawa?" He asked hopefully.

Matt looked from the soccer star to his friend, "Mimi?" He asked, in a tone that implied that he couldn't care less about what Ryo wanted.

Was she okay with him cutting in?

The brunette looked conflicted, as she thought about the decision she was going to make.

"Just a minute or so of your time, I feel like maybe I was too hammered or something last time and you got the wrong impression."

Mimi sighed, "Sure, why not." She caved.

Besides, the air between her and Matt felt a little too tense right now anyway.

Matt just nodded, bearing no expression except for the slight downturn of the corners of his lips. Without another word, he walked away from the pair.

"So, Z tells me you're on the cheerleading team?"

"I am."

"You know, the soccer players and cheerleaders tend to end up spending a lot of time together. Fundraisers, pep rallies, etc."

"I'd assumed as much."

"So then, I mean by default, it seems like we'll be spending a lot of time together."

Mimi sighed, "I guess so." She said.

"Listen, I'm sorry about the whole superstar motif, I guess I let it go to my head and I'm just not used to talking to girls who don't really give a shit about my skill with a ball." He apologized humbly.

And Mimi was a little impressed because she wasn't really expecting him to sound so sincere. "It's okay, Ryo. I did give you a bit of a hard time." She said with a smile.

She was fully expecting him to be a douche so she would be able to blow him off, but right now, with his cute little grin and his sweet apology, that was looking to be a bit harder to do.

"So how about we start this thing over." He gestured between them. "Hi, I'm Ryo Akiyama." He extended a hand forward.

Mimi took it, "Mimi Tachikawa, good to meet you." She played along.

"Mimi, what a pretty name."

"Just two syllable—

"Nope. We're starting over, it's cheating if you recycle old conversations." He cut her off playfully.

"Yes, but if we are _truly_ starting over then technically it's as if the past conversations never happened so really how can I recycle something that never existed?" She kinked an eyebrow.

"Fancy little loophole you got there, councilor. But I gotta warn you princess, I don't take losing well."

"Oh, I would have never known." She chuckled.

"Yes, well. I know this perfect body would lead you to think I have a perfect—

"You're doing it again…" Mimi said with a roll of her eyes, still keeping the light mood though.

"Oh boy, you're not going to make this easy are you?" Ryo laughed.

"Not even in the slightest."

"It's okay, I never liked easy anyway."

Mimi gave him a side-eyed glance, "I'm sure that's not entirely true." She said coyly.

Ryo raised his eyebrows, "Cheeky." He mentioned with a small smirk. "So tell me, what kind of hoops do I have to jump through to get a date out of you?" He asked frankly.

Mimi, a little taken aback by his forwardness, stumbled around her speech for a moment. "No hoops." She said, when she regained her composure. "But I mean, can't we try being friends first?" She suggested.

"Friends, huh?"

Mimi nodded, "Yeah, I mean. You know, get to know each other and all that." She elaborated. "Besides, you might find I'm completely boring and not even remotely your type."

"Oh, I highly doubt that."

"But seriously. Friends?"

He looked thoughtful as he considered the offer. "Alright, Tachikawa. You've got yourself a deal." He decided.

Mimi looked triumphant, "Great." She beamed.

And boy was she beautiful when she smiled like that.

"Should, should we shake on it?" He tried to remain un-enamored by her, realizing how incredibly embarrassing it would be if he was reduced to a blubbering pile of mush at the sight of a smile.

"I think we can hug on it." Mimi winked.

Ryo took the offer, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her into a strong embrace. Mimi couldn't help but notice the definition of the arms wrapped around her, or how sculpted the abs were she was pressed up against.

If there was one thing that was undeniable about Ryo Akiyama, it was that he was incredibly physically attractive. Everything from his perfectly imperfect brown hair, to his pretty green eyes, to that marvel of a body.

She figured the hug lasted a little longer than it should have and she also knew she was in a decent amount of trouble when she realized she had to literally force herself out of his arms.

"Thanks for giving me another shot, princess."

Mimi rolled her eyes at the all too adequate nickname everyone seemed to have given her. "Maybe I wrote you off a little too quickly." She said grudgingly.

Ryo laughed, "Maybe." He said. "Anyway, I'll see ya."

Mimi nodded and held up a hand to wave.

From the corner of her eye she could see a familiar pair of blue eyes watching her every few seconds, before diverting their gaze back.

She wondered what it was about Ryo that made Matt just so uncomfortable…

-x-

 **This author's note is a bit longer because it contains a bunch of belated thank you's for the awesome reviews you guys left me! So if you want to read those, they're at the end!**

 **A/N** : Well, there you go. I know this was a bit of a late update but I had appendicitis. Yeah, Appendifuckingcitis. Really sucked.

Anyways, hopefully you guys liked the chapter and I would love to know what you guys think of this so far. I feel like the setting of this chapter was a bit repetitive but hopefully the dialogue wasn't. I'm building it up slow and it's also a college fic so the settings are kind of limited as to where and when. **However** , if you guys have any ideas on what you'd like to see happen, or specific scenes I would love to hear them!

 **Soooo I feel like I make Yamato a smoker a lot in my fics** , lol, I don't know why that is but it was recently brought to my attention that it's been a bit of a trend with me. And I have absolutely not idea why that is but for some reason, it like fits his personality in my opinion. That said, I put that scene up there with Mimi because I want to be pretty clear that I do **NOT** support/condone the act of smoking cigarettes (or anything else really, but especially cigarettes) in any way, shape of form.

Okay, also I **mentioned TK's girlfriend** , if you want to know who I had in mind, it's **Aeris (Aerith) Gainsborough from FF7.** She doesn't matter too much in the context of this story but you might see her in later chapters, here and there.

Ummm, let's see. I'm not sure if I'm forgetting anything but if I have, just let me know!

Okay, well. That was it. Again, **reviews are absolutely always appreciated and encouraged**. I'd love to know if you're interested in my writing and this story as a whole. So drop me something, it'll make my day.

 **Here are some shout out's and thank you's for the wonderful reviews you guys leave! I appreciate them more than I can convey:**

 **Reniel Moza:** Aww! Yes, I am back and I am so glad you've read and enjoyed my fics. I appreciate the kind words and hope to hear from you soon!

 **Guest:** thank you so much! I am continuing it

 **Silentuser:** A pioneer! That is such a wonderful compliment and I am so humbled! Thank you! And as for being called an inspiration, you are just too kind, I'm honestly blushing. Thank you so much for the review and as for ChemoCC, I'm definitely going to try to update the problem with that fic is that I wrote it in high school and I am so not in high school anymore so the perspective is kind of a skewed. I'm going to honestly give it a shot though!

 **Guest (2):** Thank you and as for Chemistry *see above*

 **Mimic shalle:** Haha, I actually wasn't aware of Tri until very recently, if it's sorato heavy I doubt I'll watch it because I honestly just can't with them. Thank you, I'm glad you like the premise I also thought college would be a fun setting for our favorite foursome, very fitting, especially for my version of soccer stud, chick magnet Tai ;)

 **Cancercute** : hey girl, thanks for the review and your interest in the story. You've always been a huge support for all my stories so your reviews mean the world. But, I'm not the author for One Stolen Night, that's _thislittlelady_ (formerly _paochicute_ ) who is one of my favorite authors, such a big fan of hers and I also hope she updates soon

 **Kimi** : Thank you for reviewing each chapter, your support means so much to me and I really appreciate it. And thank you so much for you words of encouragement, I can't be grateful enough. Hope you liked this chapter and I look forward to hearing from you so so soon!

 **Guest (3)** : I also love Tai, I think he's super fun to write because not only does it kind of come easily for me but I think he is such a versatile character, there is so much more flexibility with Tai than some of the others. You can do a lot with him without it being OoC.

 **A-Longtime-Fan** : Aww your words make me melt. I gotta tell ya, when people compliment P.O I literally have the hugest grin on my face because that story really was like my baby. I started it when I was so young and so new to the site and the response I got for it was overwhelming. And to hear that people still read it is so wonderful I can't even describe the feeling. So thank you, so much. I turned you on to mimato! I'm honored, truly and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

 **Closet Libra** : Thank you so much for the support! I look forward to hearing what you thought of this chapter!

 **Guest-23:** Thank you! Hope you're still reading and like this new chapter!

 **Guest:** five times?! That's amazing and I am so grateful to you that you enjoyed my work that much. Truly I am so incredibly humbled and amazed by the encouragement and support I receive from everyone on here. Thank you so much and I hope this next chapter finds you well.

 **Scripturiens:** Aww, that's okay I appreciate the time people take out to review my work in any capacity so I really am very grateful. I do love the Mimi-Yamato relationship in any form and they are really fun for me to write regardless of their relationship. The friendship area is one I have barely just dabbled in, usually opting for the romance angle but it has been super challenging but fun so far. It's not that Mimi is awkward, or at least that's not what I was meaning to convey, it's more that she and Matt have had very limited physical interaction before this so it's a transition period. More so for her than him because Matt is just always _so cool_ lol. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and I look forward to hearing from you

 **Soojinah:** Aww, you are too kind. Really. I am so thankful for the support, I actually love your Digimon Reboot story (shameless plug, everyone go read it if you haven't!) I think it's hilarious with just enough action and romance. I wish you'd update that one already! College was my best four years too so I kind of get to relive it vicariously through these guys, haha. Tai is the best to write, I take so many liberties with him that I otherwise wouldn't with other characters. I love writing Sora and Mimi as friends because I think it's easy to write them as rivals and I'm just a sucker for solidarity and girl power. Thank you so much for the welcome back and I really appreciate the encouragement and positivity. Hope liked this chapter and hope to hear from you soon

 **Happy Reading!**


	5. Reunions and Revelations

" _ **Slow Burn"**_ _(def.): an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time._

-x-

 **Chapter Five:** _Reunions and Revelations_

-x-

"He's really cute…"

Mimi flicked on her nail polish casually, only half listening to Sora; it was Monday after all and the redhead knew how much Mimi hated the beginning of the week.

"Hn."

"I mean, _seriously_ cute."

"Who?"

"Ryo, of course."

Mimi gave a nod, "Unarguable." She said without much emotion. "But there is no shortage of cute faces." She reminded the redhead.

"So true." She said with a smile. "What do you think of Sam?"

" _Hot_." Mimi stated simply. "And boy is he smooth, those genius genes run deep in the Ichijoji family." She added.

Sam was incredibly smart, Mimi had no doubt the oldest Ichijoji brother would get into medical school.

"He's so nice too."

"So what's the problem?"

"There is no problem."

"Your tone suggests there's a problem, Sora."

Sora sighed, "It's just he lives in that house with all those guys doing God knows what." She blanched. "It's a bit unsettling."

"I hear ya."

"But then I think of how Davis has a girlfriend and so does that JP fellow, and they're both perfectly happy and perfectly faithful." She said ruefully. "But then there's Ryo and Sam and Wallace and that penalty kicker with the hair, what was his name again?" She snapped her fingers.

"Are you talking about Takuya or Henry?" She didn't know enough about sports to know positions, she just knew the people who lived in that house.

"Takuya!" Sora said, in as realization dawned on her.

Mimi nodded, "Weird how half the team looks like Tai, huh?" She observed.

Sora chuckled. "I even saw Takato with goggles on the other day." She said.

"Oh but that's probably because he's also a swimmer, Sora."

"Still."

"You're right, it makes the resemblance uncanny." She agreed.

"So how does Matt feel about Ryo?" Sora asked casually.

Mimi's eyes snapped up from the magazine in her lap. "What?" She asked

"Matt, you know six foot three, blonde hair…."

Mimi rolled her eyes, "What I meant to say is that why would he feel anything?" She responded.

"Because he's protective." Sora said in a matter of factly tone. "And because you spend almost every waking moment with him so why shouldn't he get to have an opinion."

"He can have an opinion, Sora. I just don't think he does." Mimi said, her tone a tad annoyed. "And besides nothing's going on with Ryo anyway so it's a bit premature to have this conversation." She sighed.

"Okay, but there's potential." Sora continue to prod.

Mimi shook her head, "I don't think so." She maintained. "Like you said, the reservations about the soccer boys and their choice of lifestyle are most definitely hard to overlook." She raised an eyebrow, reminded Sora of her earlier argument for not wanting to get too caught up with Sam.

And hell, Sam had a _much_ cleaner reputation than Ryo. As rumor would have it, Tai and Ryo made quite a dent in the female population at TU their freshmen year.

Overzealously so.

Sora just shrugged a shoulder, "I can see it happening, there's chemistry." She said in a sing song voice. "And now you're on the cheerleading team—

"Don't remind me of that because it just gets me ticked off that you're not." The brunette swiftly changed the subject.

Sora gave her an apologetic glance, "It's so not my thing, Meems. But I promise the next thing you want me to join, just the word and I'm there." She said.

Mimi just narrowed her hazel eyes at the redhead, "I wanted this to be the thing we do together." She grumbled.

"Oh stop, you know I would have been a nightmare out there anyway." She giggled.

"I beg to differ."

"Mimi, I may be coordinated enough to do a couple of cartwheels across an empty gymnasium but in front of a crowd on a grassy turf is a whole different story."

Mimi thought about that for a second, "You think it'll be a lot harder?" She asked in a worried tone.

Sora's eyes widened, "Oh no, not for you!" She quickly back-peddled. "You're gonna be great, you're so graceful and poised. You were made for this sort of stuff, me on the other hand, not so much."

Mimi just ran a hand through her hair, "I still wish you'd reconsider…"

-x-

Wednesday night held the first practice of the season since tryouts had officially ended, and Mimi was nervous as hell. By default, she sat at the open desk in front of Zoe, who enthusiastically waived her over. She was flanked by her two other blonde friends whom Mimi had briefly met during that party. One was Catherine the other was Relena, but she would be damned if someone asked her which one was which.

For the millionth time, Mimi wished Sora had joined her on the team. At least she wouldn't feel so alone. It was a foreign feeling for the brunette, not to be completely at ease and feel like the center of attention.

Two girls came strutting in, already dressed in red and white uniforms, exuding confidence and authority.

"Captains." Zoe murmured to the brunette.

"Quiet!" A girl with hair so dark it almost looked blue in the light, clapped her hands together. "I'm Taylor Fujiyama and I'm this year's Tokyo University Cheerleading Team Captain." She announced, as her amethyst eyes swept over the room, her hands poised on her hips.

She was very pretty, but the arrogance was displayed almost inexplicably on her aristocratic features, it was obvious the girl thought the world of herself.

The other girl, who had a kinder face and a sweet smile, gave everyone in the classroom a polite wave. "And I'm Sophia Lang, your co-captain." She said, her tone softer and less commanding. "And we would like to first and foremost congratulate all you girls for not only making the team but for giving us some of the toughest tryouts in recent years." Her smile got bigger, as she touched the ends of her long dirty blonde hair.

"Sophie's the easy one, it's Taylor that has an attitude problem." Zoe whispered to her.

Mimi wondered how it was that Zoe was privy to all this inside information when the girl was just a freshmen like Mimi herself. But then, it was not really a surprise either, it seemed like Zoe knew everything about everyone.

"Z, is there an issue?" Taylor asked, a perfectly arched eyebrow raised at the blonde poignantly.

Zoe resisted the urge to roll her eyes, " _Of course not_ , T." She said sweetly.

Mimi turned around and gave Zoe an inquisitive look. "Taylor and Ryo used to date...kind of." She muttered under her breath, as Taylor and Sophia busied themselves putting up a few things on the bulletin board. "There's a bit of bad blood between them still, things didn't end on a good note." She explained.

"Not good note…?"

Zoe sighed, "Between me and you, Rye cheated… _a lot._ " She said with a shrug. "I mean, its campus knowledge but I guess he probably wouldn't want me telling _you_ this." The implication was clear, obviously Ryo would not want Mimi knowing about his sordid past considering he was trying very hard with the brunette.

Still, in light of this information, she wasn't completely writing off the soccer star. What was more though, she actually felt a surge of appreciation towards Zoe who told her something about her brother that she could have kept to herself.

Maybe her intentions weren't as bad as Mimi thought.

The two girls at the front of the classroom turned around almost simultaneously, must be a cheerleader thing to always be in sync. Probably became second nature to constantly be synchronized.

"Now, I bet all of you new girls are probably wondering why the hell we're in this classroom instead of the gym." Taylor said. "Well, it's because today is not a real practice, it's more of an introduction and getting some order of business things out of the way." She continued.

"And what Tay means by that is, we have some rules we need to go over. A few traditions that have to be followed and we're also going to go over some of our upcoming events." Sophia clarified. "We're going to pass out the schedule for all our practices and games, home and away, the schedule will be posted permanently outside of the gymnasium as well." She elaborated. "Along with that, we have your rotations, bases and flyer pairings and the usual formation for when we are aerial stunting."

"First order of business is this." Taylor pointed at a piece of paper tacked to the board. "This is the roster for every soccer player on the team, it is a tradition that every cheerleader gets assigned one jersey number for which she is responsible." She pulled out a paper bowl with a bunch of folded up pieces of paper. "There are numbers in here that correlate with each jersey. That will be your player for the rest of the season."

" _Please_ do not confuse this as some fantasy boy draft; we are not asking you to date the boys." Sophia rolled her forest green eyes. "What we would like is for you to do something special the day of each game, whether it's bake them a treat, wear their jersey that day—whatever. Just something small to boost morale. We want our boys to know we support them; believe it or not, it's pretty tough to go out there and perform under such a high pressure situation."

"This is also a way to keep the girls from getting catty and keeping the competition over boys to a minimum. The jersey your assigned will be your accompaniment to sports fundraisers, dinners, and all other intercollegiate sporting events reserved just for student athletes."

They gestured for the girls to come up, and Mimi walked up to the front of the room where Taylor was holding the bowl. She watched as the girls in front of her took paper after paper, making her more and more nervous.

She didn't want to be paired with some random, douchy, soccer player who would hit on her any chance he got.

"Henry!" Some girl said excitedly, matching the number to the roster.

"Oh Davis Motomiya, he's _so hot_." Another girl gushed, and Mimi felt a tinge of annoyance bubble up in the pit of her stomach at the remark because Davis had a girlfriend— _Kari_.

"Wallace and those baby blues." A redhead got misty-eyed and breathy as she wrote her name next to his on the roster sheet.

Zoe was in front of her, "Sam." She said thoughtfully, and Mimi resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Sam was talking to Sora, blondie did not need to be getting any more ideas.

When Mimi went over to Taylor, she could literally feel her heart speed up. "Don't look like you're about to donate an organ, Tachikawa. They're just soccer players, they don't bite." The girl said with a Cheshire grin that told Mimi that the dark haired beauty was very clearly enjoying her discomfort.

"Unless you want them to." Sophia added with a wink.

Mimi unraveled the piece of paper and as soon as she saw the number she let out the biggest sigh of relief.

It most clearly said number _seven_ and that meant Tai and there was no better possible outcome.

Tai was comfortable, Tai she wouldn't mind in the least being paired with for fundraisers and events. Tai's jersey she would wear and would even occasionally bring him a batch of brownies if he kept his obnoxiousness to a minimum.

Tai was good.

Catherine or Relena (but Mimi figured it was Catherine because she looked over at Mimi's paper with an obvious pout,) "Lucky bitch." said with a sigh.

"What voodoo did you do on these papers to end up with Ryo, hmm, Tay?" She heard Sophia rib.

Taylor chuckled, "He's probably the one that did the voodoo, he's been trying to get me back since the summer." She said in a tone laced with arrogance and conceit.

"I heard he spent a good portion of his summer in the Cayman's, are you sure he was trying to get you back?" Sophia laughed good-naturedly. "If I know Akiyama half as well as I think I do…"

Taylor gave her a pointed look that clearly told her the conversation was over. Obviously not willing to go into the details of her personal life with so many other girls within earshot.

While Mimi barely knew Ryo, and didn't really care for him much at first, if she was honest she would have to admit she was a tad bit disappointed she didn't get him. Maybe that had a lot more to do with the fact that Taylor (whom she already didn't like) got him and they had history, but it irked her.

-x-

It was the first Saturday since school started that Tai didn't have practice, and Sora didn't have some extracurricular _thing_ and Matt wasn't pouring over his homework so of course, in true Mimi fashion, she insisted they make the most of it.

By planning a trip to the beach.

Because summer was coming to a close very quickly, and it was unacceptable that they didn't at least spend one day in the sun.

Between attending cheerleading tryouts, studying for a calculus test and keeping up with different social obligations, somehow the girl had time to make a _Facebook_ event for the day and convince just about all their friends to attend.

No one could say no to Mimi, it was impossible.

Mimi had sanctimoniously decided that she, Sora, Tai and Matt would all drive down together and Matt had begrudgingly volunteered his car, after a lot of pouting and pleading from the brunette.

Kari and Miyako drove to the beach from Odaiba, luckily for them, Mimi had chosen Odaiba private beach as the meeting point. It was the beach they all grew up going to.

Joe drove down from Kyorin University, where he was currently in his second year of medical school. It was only upon Mimi's insistence and complaining how she was still yet to see him even though their universities only about thirty minutes apart and she had moved back to Japan " _sooo long ago_ " that he came.

Davis, Ryo, Zoe and Sam came in Ryo's flashy sports car, how they all fit was rather questionable but they made it there in one piece which was probably the most important part.

Ken had decided not to be part of the excursion and Mimi didn't really push it because she didn't know him all that well anyway.

She missed Izzy though, a lot, and really wished he could have been a part of the reunion. She had made a mental note to complain to the redhead about the unfairness of life—how he moved to New York as soon as she moved back to Japan.

As Mimi, Sora, Kari and Yolie left the change rooms, all donning similar two pieces, they could see two blondes talking from a distance.

It was most obviously Zoe and Matt.

Which really annoyed Mimi, for some odd reason.

She really shouldn't have cared, but it was still enough to annoy her.

Why was Zoe so obvious? Pushing her breasts out at Matt like it was her job, all the while her long legs reflecting sunlight off of them ethereally.

She didn't like it one bit.

"Joe!" She exclaimed, catching sight of the indigo haired soon to be doctor.

He awkwardly returned Mimi's hug, as the brunette jumped at him. "Is it possible you've gotten _even_ taller or have I just started getting shorter?" She said playfully.

"Well, considering the normal human female does not start losing bone mass significant enough to impact height until about post-menopause, I believe it must mean that by your judgement I've gotten taller."

Mimi rubbed the back of her neck, "Right…" She said with a smile.

Joe looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, "Ah, you were being facetious." He said with a sheepish grin. "My mistake."

Mimi just laughed, "Oh Joe." She lightly pushed his shoulder. "At least some things don't change." Good old reliable Joe.

Yamato stared over at Mimi through the corner of cool blue eyes, he had stopped listening to the blonde prattling on about various things he wasn't concerned with, the second the brunette had walked out onto the sand and into his field of vision.

There was no way he would have been able to look anywhere else, and judging by the looks of the other males on the beach, he was not the only one feeling that way.

Mimi was downright sinful in that blood red, two piece bikini. There were things about her body he had _never_ noticed before, that he was noticing now.

Immediately he regretted the decision of coming here, she wasn't playing fair.

With her tiny waist, hip bones protruding against the strings of her bathing suit on each side, her firm round bottom. Her perky breasts and cleavage inducing top that left not much to the imagination, but enough for him to stop paying attention to everything that was going on around him except her.

He had to stop—there was no way he could have these thoughts about Mimi. But then, he was a guy after all, so how could he not.

It didn't mean anything, it was just his libido reacting naturally to an attractive female. It was nothing intentional, or emotional, just primal. He was hardwired to have these thoughts, he justified to himself.

"I think I'll go work on my tan…" Zoe trailed off, noticing his attention was divided.

Matt nodded, "Sure, I'll catch up with you." He said a bit distractedly.

He dropped his gaze to his phone, when he saw Mimi's position shifting. It would not be okay if Mimi caught him staring at her, it would just make things weird.

And he really wasn't in any mood to make things weird.

"You know it's a bad idea to bring electronics to the beach, don't you, Ishida?" When he looked up, Mimi was standing in front of him, with an eyebrow raised at him.

He straightened his posture, "Maybe for people like you." He said, tucking the phone into his pocket.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" She asked, hands on her hips.

Matt chuckled, "Just that you aren't known for your remarkable coordination, Meems." He said.

"I resent that."

"You shouldn't"

"Why not?"

"Because your clumsiness is endearing."

"Really?"

"Well not to me, but to some people, I'm sure."

"Ass." She muttered.

"Heads up!" Came a shout from behind Mimi's head, Matt had moved in front of her just in time to catch the spinning Frisbee that would have smashed right into her face.

An apologetic grin spread over Tai's features as he jogged over to the pair, "You could've knocked my teeth out, Taichi!" Mimi screeched.

Tai just scratched the back of his head "Sorry about that, Meems." He dipped his head and kissed her cheek as an apology. "You know the wind, so unpredictable."

Mimi rolled her eyes, any annoyance melting away out of them. "Thank God Ishida's got reflexes like a cat." She said gratefully.

"I think in Mimi-speak, that's a thank you, huh Matt?"

Matt laughed, "I think so too." He touched the top of the brunette's head.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mimi saw TK at the end of the beach with a brunette at his side. They looked like they were having a hushed conversation about something, the brunette didn't look too comfortable being there. And Mimi surely didn't blame her, she wouldn't feel at all comfortable coming into a situation where she didn't know very many people.

Matt caught his brother's eye, waving him over with a hand.

"That's Aeris, by the way." Matt informed her. "Be nice to her?"

"I'm nice to everyone." She said, rolling her eyes.

"You know what's funny?" Tai said with a smirk.

Both Matt and Mimi braced themselves for something that most likely wouldn't be funny. Tai had _that look_ on his face that told them so.

"TK is obviously a walking, talking clone of Matt, but it's funny that everyone who meets Aeris thinks she looks like…" He trailed off. After a minute, his dark brown gaze fell on Mimi. "Well, You." He finished.

Mimi just shook her head, "And?" She asked, giving him a withering stare.

Tai laughed, "Just sayin'." He put his hands up on either side of him. "Anyway, can we get our Frisbee back, man? I was just starting to have fun."

Matt wasted no time in giving Tai back the red disc, "Try being better at it, will you?" He said, in a tone that sounded a little bit competitive.

And of course to Taichi, any insinuation of competition was a challenge. "You know I'll beat you at anything, Ishida. Don't embarrass yourself." He boasted. "I wouldn't want Mimi here thinking you're less of a m—

"I couldn't think less of Matt no matter what happened." Mimi cut Tai off with a glare.

Tai just laughed it off, ruffling her hair affectionately before jogging back to his teammates and friends.

"Wasn't that sweet of you?" Matt murmured.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't let it get to your head." She lightly pushed his chest. "Perhaps I already think as less of you as is possible."

Matt shook his had, "Now we both know that's not true, princess." He put a hand over the one that lingered on his chest, pressing it against his skin.

Mimi felt as if her fingertips had been electrified, as her hand pressed against the hard planes of his warm chest. There was something to be said about Matt's shirtless presence so close to her, it was unnerving. And she hadn't actually registered it until this very moment.

He let it go a moment later, but to Mimi it felt like eternities. As she dropped her hand from his body, she almost let out a wistful sigh of disappointment at losing the contact.

She needed to shake this off, maybe the sun was getting to her head.

Finally, TK and his girlfriend approached them.

"Takeru!" Mimi didn't waste any time enthusiastically gripping the younger boy. "When the hell did you get to tall!" She said, standing back and taking a look at him the way a sister or mother would. "And just look at those muscles, have you been hitting the gym!" She looked between the brothers, "Matt, he's so grown up, I don't like it at all." She said with disapproval.

TK chuckled, "It's good to finally see you Mimi." He said. "You look beautiful, as always." He complimented sincerely.

Mimi smiled, "And a charmer too." She gave him a sideways glance, a hand over her heart.

"And this is my girlfriend, Aeris." He lightly nudged the girl who was a little behind him, to the front.

Mimi gave her a brilliant, welcoming smile. "I'm Mimi." She said with a wave. "I can introduce you to the rest of the girls, if you'd like." She said, forthcoming and honest.

Instantly, the other brunette, (who Mimi noticed did look a bit like her), seemed to relax. "I'd really like that." She said softly.

"Great, we'll leave these two to do the boring things that boys do." Mimi scrunched her nose up at Matt playfully.

TK pressed a kiss into Aeris' forehead. "I'll be here if you need anything." He said in a low voice. "Like any help with your sunscreen or perhaps rubbing on some tanning lotion." He winked down at her.

Aeris blushed under his azure gaze, "Mimi was right about the whole charming thing." She said, appreciating the offer.

"I'm trusting you to take care of my girl, Meems." TK said, and though his tone was clearly unserious, there was a way he said it that made Mimi realize he was protective of her.

And it was probably the cutest quality anyone could possess, but especially TK who was already too adorable for words.

"Good luck, this one can hardly take care of herself." Matt tipped his head towards Mimi.

Mimi narrowed her hazel eyes at him, "You've got a lot of nerve, Ishida. I'll have you know I've been taking care of myself for years now." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"A house full of maids and cooks doesn't really count, _princess_." He countered, jokingly.

"I've had quite enough of his abuse, TK. I'll have to give you the displeasure of dealing with him from this point on." She said with a pout.

TK grinned, "I'll make sure to speak with my older brother about the proper way to treat a lady." He assured her.

"Thank you." Mimi said curtly.

"Look at what you've done, Aeris." Matt said, in mock disappointment. "Pretty girl gives him attention and all of a sudden this guy thinks he's a modern day Casanova."

Mimi lightly grabbed Aeris by the wrist, "They clearly need some _bro-time_." She giggled.

Aeris gave her a relieved smile, "Thanks for being so…" She trailed off, not really finding the right words. "I honestly thought I was going to come in here and everyone would be kind of…"

"Bitchy?"

She nodded hesitantly.

Mimi shook her head negatively. "Not me." She promised. "I know what it's like to be "the new girl" and it's never any fun."

She had moved around enough to know that it only took one person to make someone else feel like they weren't completely alone. And sure, for Aeris, it may only be for a few hours, but Mimi never wanted anyone to feel like she had when she had first moved to America, not even if it was for a second.

"Kari and TK they were like on track to be the next great high school romance. It was practically destined." She began. "And then me and TK happened…" She stopped for a second, chewing her lip contemplatively.

"Before Kari started dating Davis, it was really hard. I think she was resentful of me and TK dating, I guess she kind of felt like I took him from her or something." She confessed. "A lot of her friends blamed me, they weren't so nice to me." Aeris twisted her hands around each other. "Called me a couple of names that I'd rather not repeat and just basically labeled me with a scarlet letter for a while." She sighed.

Mimi felt a surge of sympathy for the younger girl, she couldn't imagine it must have been easy to go to school with a bunch of mean girls, waiting to heckle you the moment you got there, all because of some preconceived notion about two people who were "supposed" to be together.

It unfair and so wrong.

"No one's going to be catty, I promise." Mimi said seriously. "And I'm not sure what exactly happened in the past, but it isn't like Kari to bully people so I don't think you have anything to worry about there." She said objectively.

"To be honest, it wasn't so much Hikari that was the problem." She admitted. "She has a lot of friends at school, they just kind of thought it was their job to stand up _for_ her or something."

But ever since then, Aeris made sure to avoid Kari and anything that had to do with her even after she started dating Davis, just so there wouldn't be any drama.

She liked having her and TK's private life _private_. She had never been the type of girl to publicize things, she was very okay with involving absolutely nothing and no one else in their relationship.

Mimi nodded, "Well, this is going to be a fun time." She said confidently. "I mean, we're at the _beach_." She said as if it were self-explanatory. "Besides, Kari and D. They're like so happy together it's nauseating." Mimi wrinkled her nose. "But in a good way, I guess." She added.

Aeris laughed, a genuine laugh. It seemed that she and Mimi would get along swimmingly.

And she definitely wouldn't mind at all now if TK was right about his brother and this girl being meant for each other.

-x-

"Hey Sora."

"Hi Jyou."

It was awkward, Sora could tell it was awkward. Especially given the fact that Joe was not the most social person to begin with.

Their break up had not been anything messy or terrible and it happened over two years ago. He had been studying for his exams to get into medical school, she was still in high school. She had been upset that he couldn't find the time for her, he didn't see how she couldn't understand how busy he was and how stressful this was for him.

Ultimately, they had loved each other, it was how come they lasted as long as they did. It had never been easy, it wasn't always happy either, but she loved being around the soft spoken soon to be doctor. He made her feel comfortable, he made her feel safe. Most of all though, she always felt as though she would be taken care of when she was around Joe. He had given her security and consistency in a way she had never experienced, especially from a man, in her life.

It was so hard to let that go.

And even now, two and a half years later, seeing him and not being with him felt a little foreign.

But she reminded herself that she had been a child when they started dating, barely sixteen, she didn't know anything about anything. Concepts of love and fate and forever were storybook to her, things out of a movie or romance novel. She had no real life experience to understand or gauge all that by.

And even now, it wasn't as if she was some sort of expert.

And while she had been okay after the break up, seeing him now still rose some old, unsettled feelings in her.

Not that she was looking to get back together with him, she knew that they wouldn't be in that space for a very long time, if ever, again.

And she really was beginning to like Sam, the more time she spend with the oldest Ichijoji, the more she felt like he was very different from what she had first imagined him to be.

Still…Jyou Kido would always hold a very special corner of her heart.

He had been her first _everything_ , and no one ever forgot what that was like.

"How have you been?"

Sora smiled softly, "Alright, I guess." She tucked her short hair behind her ear. "And you?"

"I've been alright too." He said with a nod. "Kyorin is no walk in the park though, that's for sure." He admitted. "They expect so much, even today, taking the day off means waking up at five am tomorrow to catch up on everything I didn't do today." There was no such thing as weekends in medical school.

No time off.

"I can't even imagine…" She said quietly, and it was the truth.

There was a bout of silence that fell between them, as they both shifted in place, waiting for someone to say something.

Finally, Sora perked up the courage, "Did I ever tell you I was proud of you?" She asked him openly.

Joe scratched the back of his head, "Probably." He didn't want to say no, or that he didn't remember.

But he wasn't really entirely sure if Sora Takenouchi had ever said she had been proud of him. Usually, the fact that he put his studies before her and their relationship was a sore point for them.

"Well, I was." She said honestly. "Am." She amended. "I admire your work ethic, I don't think I know anyone who would be willing to work as hard as you do."

He felt his face growing hot, "Thank you, Sora." He said with a slightly nervous smile. "It means a lot, coming from you."

The redhead nodded, "I could have been more supportive, I know that now." She told him. "But I was young and I didn't know how to deal with being prioritized under something." She sighed.

"I didn't prioritize you under anything, Sora." He argued. "You were just as important, my time was just—

"I know, and it's okay." She interrupted. "I just thought I ought to let you know that I really am happy for you and I know you'll accomplish everything you dream of." She said confidently.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Sora."

She nodded again, "It wasn't easy getting over you, you know." She looked away shyly.

Joe chuckled, "And do you think it was easy for me?" He asked her sincerely.

Sora shrugged, "You're not one for voicing your emotions, Kido. I wouldn't know." She said, her tone playfully rueful.

He bent down, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "I always missed you, Sora." He told her through truthful dark blue eyes. "I still do sometimes."

"Me too."

-x-

The day had gone by quicker than anyone could have imagined; and perhaps that childhood adage about time and how it passes when you're having fun was true after all. Because when the sun began setting, no one could have predicted that they had spent almost eight hours together. Laughing, playing, swimming and enjoying each other's company in a way they hadn't in a very, very long time.

The boys had gotten a very competitive game of beach volleyball going, in which Tai and Matt were made captains of opposing teams causing an age old rivalry to rear its head once again. Of course, both boys were very disheartened and irritated when most of the girls (minus Sora) didn't bother taking the game very seriously at all.

In the end, Matt had won—even though his team consisted of Sora, Mimi, Ryo, Aeris and TK. While Tai's side had Zoe, Davis, Kari, Joe, Sam and Miyako.

Somewhere between the merriment and festivities, Kari had gotten a moment with Aeris alone. During which the two exchanged a few awkward pleasantries, before Kari finally apologized about the way the brunette had been treated at school. The younger Kamiya admitted that she'd had a _thing_ for Takeru in the past, but that's where it was now, in the past. And the way the situation had been handled back then was very immature and wrong, indeed.

But then, they were only just barely out of middle school, so what would anyone expect.

At the end of it though, it was all water under the bridge and there was no longer any bad blood.

TK knew he would have to thank Mimi for setting this up now, considering it had made things a lot better for him. He had gotten tired of separating his girlfriend from his friends, picking and choosing between people he loved and how to manage his time.

As the sun began to set over the water, the wet and water logged friends found a place to settle on the sand, where they found a collection of stumps and logs to sit on. The boys had made a bonfire, a small one, just enough to keep them warm. And while it probably would have taken other teenagers a very long time to get a fire started, for this particular group it was next to second nature, considering the time they had spent in the digital world had basically been one large camping trip.

Albeit, a deadly one.

Matt sat on a log, where he was sandwiched between Mimi on one side and Sora on his other. Tai was beside Sora, with Zoe on his other side. While the blonde sat beside Takeru who had his girlfriend nestled under his arm, as she shivered lightly against his side. Beside her Joe was wiping the water droplets off his glasses all the while engaging Sam in a conversation about the rigorous process of getting into medical school. Beside Sam was Ryo who was in a heated discussion with Davis about their upcoming game against the Waseda University Wallabies; the team that had been ranked second nationally last year. And leaning with her head against his boyfriend's shoulder was Kari, chattering quietly with her best friend, Miyako.

Matt had grabbed his guitar out of the trunk of the car, he unlocked the case and pulled out the old acoustic instrument, one his most prized possession.

As he strummed a few cords, Mimi pulled the towel around her tighter, Matt's music always gave her goosebumps—but the best kind.

He was so good and she believed in him so much, she couldn't wait until other people noticed his talent as much as she did.

She wanted it all for him, if music was his dream, she hoped he would get all he ever wanted out of it.

As the cords became more familiar, Mimi began to hum along.

Matt grinned at her, " _When she was just a girl…she expected the world."_ He began, in his soft tenor. " _But it flew away from her reach… so she ran away in her sleep…_ " He lightly nudged her ribs with his elbow, wordlessly asking her to continue the rest with him.

By this time, the side conversations had died down and everyone was fixated on Matt and his guitar. The way it usually happened when the blonde began singing.

It was impossible not to want to listen to him, his voice was like magic.

He kept strumming, but stopped singing as he waited for the blushing brunette to join him.

" _Dreamed of para… para… paradise."_ He sang to her softly, trying his best to encourage her.

Miyako, who was on her other side, gave her a smile as well. "You love this song." She whispered.

And of course Matt knew that, he had been the one to introduce her to it, telling her it reminded him of her the second he heard it.

And Mimi had never said it out loud, but the fact that _any_ song made him think of her, gave her a bad case of the butterflies in the pit of her stomach.

Not because she fancied him, but because Matt was just so learned when it came to music—his taste was unarguable.

" _Every time she closed her eyes._ " It came out in a voice barely above a whisper, " _When she was just a girl… she expected the world. And it fell away from her reach, but the bullets catch in her teeth."_ The words became more pronounced with every syllable, as she closed her eyes and let her voice take a life of its own.

" _Life goes on, it gets so heavy… the wheel breaks the butterfly. Every tear, a waterfall."_ Matt joined her now. " _In the night the stormy night…she closes her eyes._ " And it was almost unbelievable, practically amazing, how their voices found each other seamlessly. _"In the night, the stormy night… away she flied."_

Not even for a second did they sound out of tune, sharp or flat. There was something so harmonious about the two of them together, that to a random passerby it would sound like they had been singing together all their lives.

Matt stared at her, his fingers still expertly strumming his guitar. " _She's lying underneath the stormy skies; She said oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, I know the sun's set to rise_." And he was so lost in her voice that his finger misses a cord or two, but it didn't really matter anyway.

Not when she looked so beautiful with her damp hair glistening against the almost faded sun, and the way her eyes fluttered shut when she realized this song held meaning to her that she couldn't convey. There was some inherently innocent about the way she looked right now, and it was almost paradoxical to think so, considering the thoughts he'd been having only just hours earlier.

And at the last part of the chorus, they all decided to join in, laughing through the verses and singing completely off tune.

But as they looked around at each other, they knew that this was a moment they would all remember fondly because they'd been so happy for it.

 _This could be paradise  
Para… para… paradise  
Para… para… paradise  
Woah oh oh oh oh ooooh oh oh _

-x-

 **A/N:** Hello! How are all of you? I hope you're well, I know it's been a while! It's currently 4am where I am and I just finished editing this chapter because I PROMISED _cancercute_ I would have this uploaded no later than Sunday night. So if you're happy to see/read this chapter, thank her!

 **Sorry** for the lengthy absence, ya know, life always gets in the way. To be honest though, I had most of this written for a like a month but I just wasn't satisfied with it. Even now, I'm a little unsure about it but I know if I keep sitting on it it'll just take longer and longer for me to post it. I had a very different version of this chapter before, I edited, cut and added a lot to it. And I'm still a little unsatisfied.

 **I don't know if you guys want the other version of this chapter** (the beach scene is just a lot longer, with more conversations and what not) I can post it when I get the chance, if ya'll want. Let me know.

 **Anyways, how Tri?** Is it worth watching? Is it really super Sorato heavy (Coz you guys know that's so not my thing) should I bother? If you guys could let me know, that would be faaaaaab!

The song I used here was called _Paradise_ by **Coldplay**. It's funny because I actually really don't like Coldplay at all, but Paradise and Yellow are two songs I really enjoy and they hold a lot of meaning to me.

 **Random anecdote** : So I was re-reading some of the chapters for Polar Opposites before and jeeez the beginning was super rough. I was like, I really need to edit this baby and make it worth reading. But it's still one of the works I am most proud of. Anyway, the point is that I remember a while ago (probably back in like 2011) there had been a review someone left saying how much they liked the story but pointed out some glaring flaws (or rather constructive criticisms) and at the time I was so like offended and totally like no way! Now, that I re-read it, that person was SO RIGHT. Mimi is **not** likeable in that story, she's kind of annoying through most of it and Matt was an asshole for a lot of it! LOL. I think my only favorite one was Tai and I did him so dirty (*shakes head*) for no reason. I think I love writing Tai's character more than anyone else's though, I have to say.

Anyways, I guess that little tidbit up there was kind of useless (just something I'd had on my mind for a while) thank you if you read it.

Alright, I'll leave this here for now. I hope you guys like the chapter and pleeeeease review!

 **Happy Readings!**  
 **-Chris**


	6. Shakespeare and Soccer Players

" _ **Slow Burn"**_ _(def.): an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time._

-x-

 **Chapter Six:** _Shakespeare and Soccer Players_

-x-

"No, it's your line, you idiot!"

"I just said my line!"

Mimi let out a frustrated growl.

What was more irritating was the fact that all they had to do was get through a two scenes of a play and her partner was less than cooperative. She wished she had never been paired up with Taichi for this assignment.

"No, Tai. You have to continue on to say—" _Excellent wretch, perdition catch my soul  
But I do love thee! And when I love thee not, Chaos is come again."_ She pointed at their book.

Tai squinted down at it, "Ah, yeah. You're right." He admitted guiltily.

Mimi just rubbed a hand over her face. "We can take it from the beginning, I guess." She was at her wit's end.

"Wouldn't it be better if we just waited to practice until the rest of the group could meet also?" Tai suggested hopefully. "I mean, we're missing like two important characters—really messes with the mojo, ya know?"

Mimi gave him a withering stare, "They're practicing on their own, as well." She said with a click of her tongue.

Tai just opened his mouth to argue when the empty gymnasium doors opened, revealing a redhead accompanied by a blonde.

"What are you two up to?" Sora asked with a smirk, as the pair came closer to the two brunettes.

Mimi sighed, shutting her book knowing that any chance of getting any practice in now would be impossible. "We _were_ trying to run through our lines for a class project." She said grudgingly.

"A project that isn't even due for a whole month!" Tai protested.

"What's it about?" Matt asked interestedly.

" _Othello_. We have to memorize and perform it in front of our class." Mimi explained. "Currently, getting through the second scene is a task."

"Let me guess, you're the fair Desdemona?" Matt raised his eyebrows.

For some reason, the way he said it and the look on his face made Mimi flush a little. "Yes." She said in a small voice.

"And I'm the all mighty Moor." Tai puffed out his chest animatedly, earning a laugh out of Sora.

"Where are you guys right now?" Sora asked, "Maybe we can help you." She said brightly.

"Well, I _was_ in the middle of accusing Mimi of adultery and calling her a whore. Basically." Tai said flippantly.

"Eloquent." Mimi said flatly. "The only way you could help is if someone could replace my lead." She glared at Tai.

Tai just laughed, "The lady doth protest too much." He waved off.

"Wrong play." Matt snickered.

Mimi just shook her head, as Tai and Sora began arguing over something. Matt hung back by the bleachers, his looming figure towering over Mimi's smaller frame as she was sitting.

"Tai'll come through in the end." He assured her, in a low voice.

He always did, after all.

Albeit, it was usually in the nick of time—right at the buzzer.

Mimi just pulled a hand through her hair. "He just never takes anything seriously." She said, chewing on her bottom lip.

Matt nodded, "He'll get it together."

As Tai boasted about something which prompted Sora to say "Yeah, right. Prove it!"

It was most likely sports related, because a second later they took off in a mad dash towards the equipment closet.

Matt laughed at the two of them, as he took a seat beside the brunette. "What's really bothering you?" He knew her well enough to know that there had to be more to it than a class assignment.

She let out a long, frustrated breath. "This is supposed to be my major, you know?" She blew up a strand of her hair. "And I wanna be good at it, and I wanna be taken seriously." She disclosed.

Matt listened intently, as the entire thing began to make more sense.

"And this is the first assignment that has to do with acting and I know it's so small and shouldn't mean anything but it does… to _me_." She said, her voice was tiny as she hid behind a cascade brown waves.

"It would matter to anyone." He said quietly. "And I'm glad it matters to you." He said honestly.

Her shoulders perked up at that. "You, you are?" She asked, still not looking at him.

He shifted his body, so he was angled towards her. "I am, because it means you're serious about this." He reached out a hand, sweeping a glance at Tai and Sora who were busy in a game of HORSE.

Tentatively, he reached towards her, letting his fingers brush against the ends of her hair. When she didn't flinch or pull away, he tucked the loose pieces of hair behind her ear, catching a glimpse of her slightly somber profile.

In that moment he realized something extremely powerful, Mimi Tachikawa was absolutely _beautiful._

And it wasn't as if this should have been news to him, on an objective level he had never had any trouble admitting Mimi, his best friend, was a pretty girl. But there was something that struck him then, like a lightning bolt straight down his spine, awakening his senses to an all new kind of splendor. One he was hard pressed to find a comparison to.

"I just want to be good."

Matt could empathize with that, "Do you want me to practice with you?" He asked.

Her eyes snapped up, "You, you would do that?" She asked, and the question felt stupid as it left her mouth.

Why wouldn't he, they were friends and he was a really good friend at that.

Of course he would want to help her.

Matt just gave her a look of slight disbelief, "Mimi." He said a bit sternly. "Do you even need to ask?"

A smile overwhelmed her features, "No." She said and a second later, without any warning, she launched herself into his arms.

And Matt caught her hug with a chuckle, with a hand around her waist and the other threaded through the hair.

-x-

"Please, can you come?"

Mimi sighed loudly, shutting her calculus book with theatrical flare. "I really don't want to. I literally had the most mind numbing rehearsal session with Tai. And I have all this homework and then class _and_ practice tomorrow." She hated saying no to Sora.

It was seldom that the redhead ever asked for anything.

And if she did, it was never anything big or terribly inconveniencing.

"It won't be long, in and out, I swear." The redhead promised.

"I seriously would rather not, Sor."

Sora looked at her through slightly disappointed amber eyes, "Really, Meems?" She asked.

She got off the bed, "Obviously not, Sora." She conceded almost immediately.

Mimi had thought to make her work for it a little more, but it was like disappointing her mother when Sora looked at her that way.

A brilliant smile split her face, "It won't be for too long. Just dropping in to say hi." She repeated quickly.

Mimi nodded, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Takenouchi. If I'm wingmanning tonight, just remember you owe me one." She went over to the closet.

"You have my word."

Mimi knew she didn't need to call in any favors though, their friendship didn't work that way. She'd do anything Sora needed her to do (within reason) and the simple _knowledge_ that the redhead would reciprocate was all that was necessary.

She quickly pulled a cute, floral tank top over her head. She looked searchingly into her closet, before finally making up her mind and grabbing a thin cardigan. It was the end of September, which meant the weather was still relatively warm—but the nights were breezy and she was cold more often than not.

The car ride to the soccer house was both longer than she remembered, but still too short. As they neared the driveway, she was getting a little nervous. While she had the expectation of being entertained by Ryo, she was apprehensive.

What if he had a girl there already?

Or worse, what if he had Taylor there?

She couldn't risk running into the Cheerleading Captain, she didn't want her life to be hell on the team before she had barely begun.

And from the few and far between interactions she'd had with the dark haired girl, Mimi already got the impression that Taylor Fujiyama could hold a grudge.

"Are you okay?" Sora peered at her, as they got out of the car.

Mimi nodded immediately, "Yeah, of course." She said.

Sora stared at her a bit longer, but didn't say anything else.

"Thirty minutes, max." She said honestly. "Sam's been asking me to hang out for ages."

They rang the doorbell, while Sora held her phone to her ear. It had barely been a second, before Sam's grinning face was seen through the screen door. "Come on in." He said, opening it for them.

The house looked different, but she imagined it would considering the last time she'd been here was under the circumstance of a party. It was a lot less cluttered, obviously, and much more quiet. No one was in the sitting area, nor was there anyone in the kitchen. She figured it was a Wednesday night, so they must all be in their rooms.

"Practice ran a little longer than it was supposed to." Sam said, as he led them through the house.

The sitting room slash den area was surprisingly clean, for the amount of single boys that lived here. She was expecting the floor to be littered with rolling papers, beer cans, dirty undergarments (female ones more likely than male, she would've guessed) that sort of thing. But she was met with a large, seventy two inch flat screen TV that was mounted above a wood burning fire place. There were game consoles (Xbox? Play station?) and controllers, as well as an extraordinary stack of games. The couches were actually stainless and though they weren't anything special or particularly expensive looking, at least she was sure she wouldn't catch any diseases from sitting on them.

She sunk into the worn out leather, Sora beside her who was already immersed in a conversation with Sam about something relating to Soccer.

Mimi quickly realized that Sora didn't actually _need_ her to be there (though she wasn't sure if the redhead had realized that yet) she had only needed her to actually get there. Other than that though, she was carrying on perfectly fine on her own.

Sora was warm and she was caring and she was expressive to the people she loved, it was easy to be around her. It was easy to love her.

But Sora, like Matt, was also guarded, in a way that was almost imperceptible if you didn't know her personally. Unlike Matt, though, she did a very good job of seeming perfectly approachable and open.

With Sam, she was wary. But less doubtful than she was of every other guy she had come in contact with _post_ - _Joe_. She wasn't sure if she saw anything lasting with him, but at the very least, she was under the impression that he could be short term.

None of the other ones had even made it that far.

Mimi pulled out her cell phone, the air becoming oppressively more ' _coupley'_ by the second and the feeling that she was third wheeling as oppose to wingmanning was getting harder and harder to ignore.

She chewed her lip, as her thumb scrolled through the A's in her contact list.

Akiyama, Ryo.

Her thumb hovered over the name, she felt incredibly desperate texting him—he had all but made her give him her number that day at the beach, but except for a hello text to give her his, she hadn't heard from him since.

Not that he was any different towards her when they were in person, whether it running into him on campus or practice, he was always his usual charming and flirty self.

Outside of the face to face, by chance, default interactions though, he made no effort to try to talk to her or get to know her.

Which that, in of itself, spoke volumes about his interest level.

She was what he wanted when he saw her, but barely an afterthought in the day if he didn't.

She was more than okay with letting someone like get away.

Mimi excused herself, getting up to get a drink from the kitchen out of sheer boredom. She was kind of hoping Sam and Sora would just get on with it and make out or something so that they would go to his room, at least then she could turn on the Tv and it wouldn't be terribly rude.

When Mimi entered the kitchen she let out a squeal of surprise, before shoving her hands over her mouth wishing the sound never came out.

There was a boxer clad male standing at the faucet, who turned around at the sudden commotion.

In all his shirtless, pantsless, carved like Adonis reincarnated, glory was Ryo and the look on his face further amplified the mortification she was already feeling.

He leaned back against the sink, arms crossed over his chest with a smirk dangling off his lips.

Mimi felt incredibly uncomfortable as she tried to look everywhere but his almost naked form. She knew it would be childish to cover her eyes at this point, but she had to literally ball up her fists to stop herself from doing it.

"I was just thinking about you."

"I'm gonna go."

She knew that in a house full of boys (especially ones who played sports and had bodies that belonged in museums), this was probably the dress code, but it didn't mean she wasn't totally embarrassed to be standing in his presence right now.

"Come up to my room?"

Mimi's eyes widened "Excuse me!" Her annoyance flared at his slight insinuation, momentarily forgetting her discomfort. "What sort of girl do you take me for?"

Ryo had the nerve to broaden his smirk, "I didn't mean it that way." He assured her. "I just meant so I could show you around and what not." He clarified.

Mimi rolled her eyes, "I'm leaving." She said, before turning on her heel.

She wasn't sure if he made a move to stop her, she was out of there before he could say anything else.

When Mimi returned to the sitting room, she found it empty. Her phone was still sitting on the armrest, she picked it up to check it. Sure enough, Sora had texted her:

 _In Sam's room, he's gonna show us some old vinyl records he's got._

Another one came after that,

 _Where are you? Come up! Should I come get you?_

Mimi let out a snort through her nose, there was no way the only thing they wanted to do was listen to some old songs and Mimi was never one to cock block, especially when she had come here with the sole purpose of doing the exact opposite.

Still, she knew if she didn't answer Sora would actually come down and get her, so she quickly sent out a reply:

 _Don't! I'm fine, ran into Ryo… we're hanging_

It was partially true, Sora didn't need to know the details.

 _:( Fine, but we really are ONLY talking so pleaseeeeee come if you get bored_

Mimi shook her head at the text, before giving a small laugh. Sora was actually the most guilt ridden, selfless person she knew.

Afterwards, she spent the next ten or fifteen minutes scrolling through her various social media accounts, and after she had checked her email and class work, she grew increasingly restless.

She walked around the den aimlessly, peering at photographs disinterestedly, and examining various medals and trophies from some of the guys that lived here.

She noticed a cute little photo booth picture of Davis and Kari, leaning against a trophy for the dark haired boy. With a wicked little smile, Mimi let it process that Kari probably strategically placed the picture there as a message for any girls that should be wandering about the house— _the boy was hers._

Who would've thought that sweet, little Kari had it in her to be so cunning.

She bent down, searching through the stack of magazines the boys had, wondering if she would be able to find something that was unrelated to female nudity or cars or sports (though she knew the chances of that were unlikely.

He took a second, just to check out her glorious, perfect bottom, before quickly dropping his gaze and clearing his throat.

Mimi looked up to find a fully clothed Ryo Akiyama, standing at the threshold of the room. She straightened up immediately, meeting his green eyes fully this time. "Glad to see you're decent." She said curtly.

"Did you need something?"

"Not really." She said easily. "Just trying to kill the time." She said with a shrug.

He walked further into the room, as he came closer Mimi couldn't help but notice how nice he smelled. She also didn't fail to catch that his hair was limper, looking damp—inwardly she recognized that he had gone and showered for her and made an effort to be relatively presentable.

It was kind of cute.

So, she decided not be a bitch to him tonight.

Besides, it wasn't as if she was swimming in options.

She didn't hate Ryo, not by any means. Nor did she even dislike him, though sometimes it did come off that way, she just didn't know him. She also didn't really care too much to _get_ to know him—she had him pegged.

At least, she thought she did.

He hadn't done much to refute her original impression of him anyway.

"Do you want anything to drink?" He asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

She shook her head, but he was already heading through the opening that connected the den to the bar area.

He came back with a beer in one hand, glass of white wine in the other. "It isn't anything spectacular." He warned her, "Though I'm probably a bit of a wine snob, my step mom's from Italy." He explained with an ease she wasn't used to hearing when addressing blended families or broken homes.

Mimi took the glass, "Thanks." She said with a small smile. "Have you been a lot? To Italy, I mean." She asked for the sake of conversation.

He motioned for her to have a seat, as he took the one across the coffee table. "We used to go frequently, practically every summer." He opened his beer. "I haven't been in two or three years though." He said with a shrug. "How about you? Tell me you've gone."

She was glad he sat across from her, as oppose to next to her, it was a lot more casual this way. "I went once, with my family." She told him. "We did a tour of Europe over a summer—Italy was gorgeous. I fell in _love_ with _Roma_." She couldn't help but gush about it as her mind wandered back to villas situated along hilly ocean-sides, clear Mediterranean waters, the beautiful Italian coastline and the undeniably delectable cuisine.

"Our summer home is in Rome, actually." He said and it wasn't in a way that sounded arrogant or boastful, "My favorite thing about it was that from our balcony you could see the _Trevi_ _Fountain_. I remember me and Zoe would sneak out around dawn, just to see the sun rise over it because it was just so much more fascinating without the lights and the tourists and the whole show." She could tell he wanted to say more, but he stopped abruptly, shifting his feet.

Mimi wondered if her expression had mirrored the shock she had felt, hearing that small degree of appreciation for something cultural like art or history. She would've guessed his favorite thing would be the women or the weather or something else equally as shallow or predictable.

"It was one of my favorite things too." Mimi recovered quickly, "That and the Riviera." But in truth, she had loved everything about Italy, it was easily one of the best places she had ever visited in her life.

"When did you leave Japan?" He changed the subject.

She thought on it, "When I was around ten or so." She told him. "The company my father worked for opened a branch in New York that they wanted him to be the head of." She never blamed her father for taking the opportunity.

She knew it was what had been best for her family.

She wished that he had been around more, her mom too, but she didn't hold it against them.

"What's he do?" Ryo asked with genuine interest.

Mimi was asked this question often enough where she should have a rehearsed answer, but she had never been entirely clear on what it was her father actually _did,_ "He runs the New York office of a telecommunication service." She answered vaguely.

"Really? Which one?"

Mimi sighed, " _SoftBank_." She answered, which was a big deal, she supposed, but it didn't just leave people impressed, it also made them probe further and she hardly ever had perfunctory answers to questions that required more than surface specifics.

As expected, Ryo did look mildly impressed. "Wow, tall order." But it was all he said on the matter.

Mimi took a sip of her wine, it was sweet but nothing unbearable. "Well, what about your family?" She asked.

She knew they had money, it was expressed by the way Ryo dressed and the car he drove, by way of Zoe's entitled attitude and expectations.

"My father is on the Board of Directors at Sumitomo." He said with such indifference that the delivery just as much as the news itself made her almost drop the glass of wine into her lap.

No wonder he wasn't clamoring over the fact that her father worked at _SoftBank_ —his father was basically top of the chain at one Japan's (and quite possibly the world) _largest_ financial services.

They didn't just have money, they were _rich_ , as in filthy. It was no wonder that he had a flashy, sports car, and took vacations on exclusive islands and had girls two years ahead of him falling over themselves for him.

He was gorgeous, he was in line to inherit millions and talented.

Mimi swallowed the sip she had taken, trying not to seem terribly affected. "Wow, that's certainly remarkable." She mentioned.

If Ryo cared about what his father did, he definitely didn't show it. "Yeah, him and Tai's dad are pretty tight over there." He said with a shrug of his shoulder. "It's how me and Kamiya got close, aside from Soccer. We were always being thrown together at these stupid black tie events and shit—would've been insufferable without him." He shuddered for emphasis.

"Had to go to quite a few of those myself." She commiserated, "Though I felt more like a show pony than anything else." It came out a little more bitterly than she wanted.

But she hated every minute she was paraded around like a prized mare at a buyer's auction.

"That's how it is for girls, isn't it." He said with recognition. "Though I can't say Zoe hated the attention." He chuckled lightly.

"We're different, me and Zoe."

She didn't know why she made a point to say that, but she did.

"I know that."

And she didn't know why she was glad to hear him say that, but she was.

"So Tai's dad, works at SMFG too?" She hadn't known that, before she left she had heard his father had gotten a relatively good job offer.

She had no idea it had been there though.

Ryo nodded, "He's head of Risk Management." He said with no real insight on the positon.

And while she was no business expert herself, she knew the position was a prestigious one at a bank as large as SMFG.

"So you had your choice of any university." She began. "Why TU?"

"Why not?" He challenged. "It's as good as any other university that had offered me entrance and they wanted me to play for them." He said. "And it's close to home, which isn't that big of a deal but it's always convenient to be thirty minutes from your parents should you ever need them." And it wasn't until he said that that Mimi realized he was definitely right about that.

Suddenly the thought that her own parents were on the other side of the world overwhelmed her, what if she needed them in an emergency? They were a nineteen hour plane ride away.

She pushed the anxiety out of her mind, forbidding it from crushing her. She wasn't sure how it had been for Ryo, but her parents weren't around much to begin with as it was, so even if she had stayed in New York for her advanced schooling, there was no guarantees they would be there if she needed them anyway.

"Does your dad travel a lot?" She asked softly.

Ryo shook his head, "Nah, he has people do it for him." He said offhandedly, "Mostly my old man just golfs."

"Tokyo County Club?" Mimi raised an eyebrow.

"That's the one."

Her parents had been members prior to their relocation.

"My dad used to go every Sunday." It was nice, when they lived here as a family.

Ryo nodded, "See, would you look at that? We have so much more in common than you originally thought." He said, with twinkling green eyes and an annoyingly charismatic smile.

Mimi smiled back, not to be out done. "I suppose so, but you can hardly blame me." She said sweetly.

He would never get used to the blinding perfection of her features, especially the way they were accentuated by that unfailingly stunning smile.

He was staring at her, and she felt her face starting to heat up at the intensity of his gaze. For once, his eyes weren't filled with mirth, there was no smirk dancing on his face. "W-what?" She cursed her speech for faltering, as she consciously raised a hand to her face. "Did I say something?"

Ryo shook his head instantly, "Honestly, I'm so sorry for staring like that." He apologized a little awkwardly. "I didn't mean to, it's just… and I mean this in the _least_ creepy way possible—you're _really_ beautiful, Mimi."

And Mimi couldn't help but blush at the sincere compliment, she'd heard it before but it was different coming from someone who quite literally could probably have any girl in the world (or at least in Japan), who's flawless sister was practically a model.

"Thank you." She said demurely.

"I don't want to be too—

Sora's voice could be heard distantly calling her name, and with every syllable it got closer. "Oh good, you're where I left you." She said, peering into the den with Sam trailing behind her.

Mimi stared from the redhead, back to the soccer star. Whatever he was going to say had died in the back of his throat as he cleared it, setting his now warm beer on the coffee table.

"Ready to go?" Sora asked earnestly.

Mimi looked at Ryo, who didn't make eye contact. "Yes, of course." She affirmed.

Ryo got up from the armchair he had been sitting in as Mimi lifted herself from the couch, "Well, it was really good talking to you." He gave her a hug.

"You too."

Mimi stole a look at his profile, all humor and superficial charm were gone. Instead, all she saw was a pensive green gaze and a frown lines creasing his forehead in what looked like a dazed expression.

She could succinctly agree with the sentiment.

Who would've thought she would actually feel _let down_ because of how abruptly their conversation had ended.

And she found herself more than curious to know what he would've asked her, had Sora and Sam not showed up.

-x-

She had been dreading the next day and it was every bit as annoying as she had expected it to be. Calculus was a bore, as usual and so was her History class.

By the time it was time for practice, she was ready for a nap.

The routines seemed simple enough, as Mimi and all the other new girls watched the veteran cheerleaders show them dances from last year. She was wary of it all though, making sure not to get too complacent—she knew nothing was as it seemed.

"When I'm captain, we're going to have a _way_ higher standard for who gets allowed on the squad." She heard Zoe whisper to one of her minions. "I mean, seriously, just look at Mina's _form_." Distaste dripping from every syllable.

Mimi rolled her eyes at the cattiness, keeping her retort to herself. She wondered what gave the blonde the idea that she would be captain, ever?

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the field doors open at the end of the gymnasium. The boys came bustling in, sweaty and propelled by endorphins and adrenaline, making a ruckus as usual.

She saw as Taylor Fujiyama's amethyst gaze fell on a certain jersey clad defenseman, her usual control and poise faltering almost immediately. "Alright, that's it for today." She said distractedly. "Sophia, call it in." She delegated, before getting off the floor.

She made a shameless beeline for Ryo, whose green eyes were most certainly not on the cheerleading captain.

"Okay, girls. We're done for the day. You guys can go get changed, don't forget that we have a game Thursday, then the Welcome Back Banquet on Saturday!" She called out to them, as the girls began getting their things together.

Mimi got up from the gym floor before dusting off the back of her red practice shorts.

She had come here with the intention of maybe striking up conversation with Ryo, last night had left her kind of intrigued by him. But she also knew that there was no chance in hell she could do that now. She made a mental note to never talk to him at practice, unless she wanted her head chopped off by a certain cheerleading captain.

"Tachikawa, wait up!" She heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Hey, Tai." She slowed her step, allowing him to catch up.

He did with ease, falling in rhythm beside her. "I was hoping to get a word with you." He said.

"I'll give you two."

"I'll need a couple more than that." He grabbed the water bottle out of her hand.

She waited with an impatient hazel gaze as he squirted some out into his mouth. "Anyway, like I was saying." He wiped his chin with the back of his hand. "I heard you got me for your Boy Draft thing." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Unfortunately, you were the best of a bad situation."

Tai chuckled amicably. "Careful, Mimi. I've been told I have an ego. You're dangerously close to expanding it with such flattery." He winked at her.

She rolled her eyes, grudgingly smiling at the soccer player.

"What's your point?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Do you want a jersey?"

She hadn't thought about that.

"I, I guess." She said, with a small shrug. "It's customary, isn't it?"

"Well, don't sound so enthusiastic about it."

Mimi straightened her posture, "You're right, sorry. Of course I want a jersey." She smiled sincerely.

Tai, whose attention span didn't allow him to bear grudges, grinned. "I'll get you a washed one."

"Truly, how'd I ever get so lucky."

"For the Banquet." He continued. "I can pick you up? Or you can come over the loft and get ready there." He offered.

Mimi thought about it, she hadn't really even given any of it much attention until now. "I'll come to the loft, why not." She decided. "Not like it's a date." She added.

"Heaven forbid!"

Mimi giggled behind her hand, "Anything else, golden boy?" She asked.

"Just this last thing, promise me you won't give Akiyama a dance?" He asked, with puppy dog eyes and a mock pout.

A full blown laugh escaped her lips at this, "You're ridiculous." She flicked his ear.

"I'm serious! It would irk him so bad and it'll be so funny."

"Well, keep me occupied and I won't." She said simply.

"Of course. Don't let this rough exterior fool you, I have a private school finish."

"We'll have to see then, won't we?" She said and she knew that the challenging tone of her voice was only going to spur the brunette on. "I'll have to warn you, my parents made me take ballroom for three years." She told him.

"How could they inflict such a harsh punishment on such a fair creature?" He pretended to be horrified.

"Go home and work on that play, Kamiya." She said, trying to keep her voice stern. "Don't think I've forgotten about that poor excuse for a performance you gave yesterday."

"Aye, aye captain." He saluted her playfully.

-x-

"You should date."

Matt turned his head, "Gee, thanks for the sage advice Sora. Write down life coach on your list of career goals." He said to the redhead beside him.

Laying on the grass outside of the Astronomy building was something they'd done since they were Freshmen.

Tai had acclimated to college from the second he stepped foot on campus. He had never been one for school, but it was like he had been _made_ for University. He was carefree and couldn't maintain a schedule if his life depended on it, so for him this was the perfect setting.

And on top of all that, he got to play Soccer.

It was win-win.

For Matt and Sora though, it hadn't been as smooth of a transition. And one night when he had done particularly shitty on a Chemistry exam, and she had been wallowing in her (nearly six month old) break up with Joe, they somehow wound up at the same spot.

"I'm serious, jerk." She pushed his shoulder. "I mean, it's been forever since the whole mess with Lucy whatshername." She continued.

" _Heartfilia_. Lucy Heartfilia." He reminded her casually. "And wouldn't this be the pot calling the kettle black. Or something along the lines of stones and glass houses?" He raised his brows.

"Touché, Ishida." She deadpanned. "But I'm dating… _ish_."

Matt gave her an unconvinced look, "If that's what you call entertaining Ichijoji's attempts at flirtation, I guess." He smirked.

"Get that look off your face, at least I'm putting myself out there." She refrained from shoving him again. "Besides, it could be something with Sam—it's why I'm taking it slow." She told him, amber eyes on the night sky.

"Ah, so there's potential." He noted quietly.

"Potentially." She said with a grin.

"There's slow, then there's snail's pace."

"Do you blame me?" She arched an eyebrow.

He shook his head, "Not entirely, no." He said honestly. "They're good guys though, Sam and Ken. I don't think he'd hurt you." And she knew he meant it, Matt was protective.

He wouldn't have said it if he didn't think it was true.

"Back to you, rockstar." She turned her gaze towards him. "I mean, why haven't you at least _tried_ with anyone, since _'she-who-must-not-be-named_.'"

Matt kept his eyes on a twinkling star that seemed to burn a little brighter than the ones around it. Every time he looked away, it was as if that same star demanded his attention, dancing and sparkling its way out of his peripheries and into the center.

The star reminded him of something… but he couldn't place what.

"You make our break up sound more tragic than it was." He said absently. "It was mutual."

"I know." She said gently. "It wasn't my point. It was more that she's moved on and it's okay if you—

"It's not about that and you know it." He cut her off.

"Well it was for me." Sora shrugged, removing her eyes from his profile. "When I heard Joe was dating again…" She abstained from mentioning who it was, "It kind of gave me the forceful kick I needed to get out of my funk."

"It isn't about Lucy." He said again, "I loved her, and she was great. She was never the problem." Truthfully, he had let her go before he gave it a chance.

He was self-sabotaging that way, sometimes.

"Then, what's it about?" She prodded.

"I mean, it's not that easy." He said darkly. "And even though the shelf life on "my parents are divorced so I have commitment issues" has expired, I can't just turn them off you know." It got old, and girls didn't really get it as much when they realized it happened over a decade ago.

He shouldn't still be scarred over it, so it was probably just an excuse.

"Commitment issues, was it? Hi, I'm abandonment issues, how nice to meet you." She playfully extended a hand towards him.

"Don't be glib." He muttered.

"Sorry." She said with half a smile. "But all the the same, "my dad left me at four years old so I have trouble trusting the male gender as a whole due to a psychological disturbance from zero paternal attachment" isn't a great ice breaker either." She told him pointedly, hints of resentment creeping into her statement. "But you have to at least _try_."

Matt nodded empathetically, "Maybe we should just date each other." He mused.

Sora chuckled, "There's a bright idea." She said sarcastically. "We would be the most miserable couple of history."

"Dark and moody."

"And don't forget broody."

Matt folded his arms behind his head, "All jokes aside, It would never work." He had always known it, he was glad they never explored it.

He'd never had a sister, but he figured Sora was the closest thing to it.

And that relationship was infinitely better, he'd decided that a long time ago.

"It's what I liked about Lucy." Sora admitted. "She was ditzy and annoying but she brought out the fun side of you. You laughed more, when you were around her and she got you to do things you _never_ would have done otherwise."

"Don't go there, I know you're talking about those horrible school dances and I still have nightmares."

"The point is, she was good for you. You guys balanced each other out." She said nostalgically.

"Are you trying to get me to break up a happy home, Takenouchi?"

Sora laughed, "No, idiot." She rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying that's what you need."

Lucy had been a bit of a princess, somewhat spoiled and a little entitled at times (she came from money, what did anyone expect?) but she had a heart of gold. She had fierce loyalty to her friends and those she loved and an overall sunny disposition.

Of course, until you got her mad, then the protocol was duck and cover because she was downright terrifying.

But she had lightened up the blonde's life considerably, making him smile at stupid things with her childish humor and brightening his day with her constant bursts of energy.

A thought struck him, "She was a lot like Mimi, huh?" He had never made the connection before.

But now it was downright undeniable.

A slow, knowing smile spread over the redhead's features.

"You don't say…"

-x-

The first thing he noticed when he walked into the loft was a pair of feet propped up on the wooden table, he followed them up to the slender legs they were attached to. Sitting with her honey colored locks swept up in a messy pony tail, tendrils of hair touching her face, clad in a white tank top and gray sweatpants, looking as if she owned the place.

Wait a minute… were those _his_ sweatpants?

"To what do I owe pleasure?" He asked tonelessly

Mimi's eyes snapped to him, "Finally." She huffed. "Took you long enough." She rolled her eyes for good measure.

He set his bag down, removing his feet from his shoes. "Didn't know I was being waited on." He shrugged.

"Well, where were you?" She asked expectantly. "You know I've been here since eight thirty, it's eleven now." She told him.

If anyone else had the gall to be so demanding, acting as if he owed them an explanation, they would have been met with a sneer and dry remark. But she was different, and he hated that, but it was undeniable. "With Sora." He muttered.

She patted the open spot next to her, "I rushed over here right after practice." She said, waiting for him to occupy the empty space.

He sighed, "Should I even ask why?" He walked over, complying with her request.

Mimi turned to face him, her knee brushing against him as she did. "Do I need a reason?" She raised an eyebrow.

For some reason, the proximity was unnerving. "Of course not." He shifted subtly, so they were no longer touching. "But is everything alright?" It was late, and it wasn't like her to show up unannounced.

She tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear, "I…" She chewed her lip, averting her gaze. "I just missed you, is all." She mumbled sheepishly.

He couldn't stop the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth, "Is that all?" He murmured, in a low and gravely tone that seemed to reverberate from his chest.

She wouldn't meet his icy gaze, "Is that a crime?"

Matt chuckled, "I missed you too." He said honestly.

Her eyes lit up at that, and he would never, ever get used to how easy it was to make her happy. He wondered why people didn't do it more often

Why he didn't do it more often.

"I thought we could hang, maybe some Netflix and chill." She said, a bit cheekily.

He shook his head with half a smirk, "You do know what the _chill_ part refers to, don't you?" He raised his brows.

Mimi's wind-chime laughter echoed through the air, "Don't even go there." She said amicably.

"You went there, not me."

"Whatever, so what'd you do with Sora, anyway?" She asked attentively.

"Talked." He shrugged a shoulder.

"Wow, Yamato. Bore me with the details, why don't you."

"That's all it was."

"About what?" She probed.

He gave her a sideways glance, "Life, Mimi. Nothing worth mentioning." He waved off. "How was practice?"

"It was alright." She answered. "It's going to take some time to getting used to." She added honestly.

He nodded, "Tai said something about being your escort to some ball or something?" He asked quietly.

Mimi felt a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach when he mentioned this, she wasn't sure why but for some reason, discoing this with Matt felt… awkward.

It shouldn't have been though, so she pushed the feeling away as best as she could. "A dinner, actually. But yeah, luckily I drew his number and not anyone else's." She said, as nonchalantly as possible.

Another slow nod, "Well, have fun." He didn't sound even the least bit sincere.

And she had absolutely no idea why this would bother him in the slightest.

"My preference would've been to attend these things with my best friend." She bumped his shoulder with her own, a playful gesture to lighten the mood.

"Hn. Sora must have been so disappointed when it didn't work out that way." Came his sarcastic reply.

"Matt." She said reproachfully, "I meant you, silly." She turned her face completely, so she was looking stilly into his turbulent blue eyes.

He searched her eyes for honesty, for truth, for surety.

Did she still think of him as her best friend the way she had before?

It just all felt so different since the moment she got here, he wasn't sure what they were anymore.

And it drove him absolutely insane sometimes.

He shook his head of her gaze, "What do you wanna watch?" It was all too vulnerable and unchartered and he couldn't venture further into this unknown territory.

He needed familiarity.

Mimi let out a long, melodramatic, sigh—but said nothing else on the matter. "I've been browsing for ages, haven't found a single thing worthwhile." She grumbled, setting back into the sofa.

"Are you in the mood for anything particular?"

"Ice cream." She smiled sweetly.

He held back a laugh, "I was talking about movie wise, but there's some Ben & Jerry's in the freezer." He motioned towards the kitchen.

She yelped in excitement and he couldn't contain the chuckle that escaped him, she really could be such a child sometimes. "Half baked?" She asked dreamily.

"Would I ever disappoint you with anything else?"

She was off the couch and bounding towards the kitchen in an instant.

"Are those my sweatpants, by the way?" He asked pointedly.

Mimi, who didn't seem to look the least bit ashamed that she'd been caught, simply shrugged. "I mean I needed _something_ to change into after I showered." She said as if the question was entirely ridiculous.

"Obviously." Matt drawled. "My mistake."

"Besides, you took forever as it was." She complained ruefully again.

Matt ran a hand through his hair, "Hey, so where's Tai?" He asked, it was unlike his roommate (or loft-mate) not to make his presence known if he was home.

Tai was the self-proclaimed life of the party.

Regardless the size of the party.

"Beats me." She said, digging through the drawers for a spoon. "Last I saw of him was at practice." She grabbed the pint and two spoons.

"Actually though, now that I think about it." She came back to the couch, "I did see him talking to Sophia Lang when I was leaving." She told him, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

Matt's eyebrows shot up, "You're kidding." His interest had peaked. "She's a senior." And she was hot.

The both of them, Taylor Fujiyama and Sophia Lang—they were kind of the girls that underclassman fantasized about.

Mimi gave him an unimpressed look, "Wipe the drool off your face, Ishida."

"I wonder if she's as good at—"

"Don't finish that, whatever it is." She held up a hand.

"Did we decide on a movie?" He effectively changed the subject with an unabashed grin.

"Should we just watch _Drive,_ again?" She suggested defeatedly.

" _Drive_ it is."

"Here's to stepping out of our comfort zone, huh?" She held out a spoon full of ice cream out to him.

He clanked his spoon against hers as a toast.

She kicked her legs onto the couch, so he was laying horizontally, placing them in his lap. Matt's initial reaction was to tense up, he couldn't help it, the maneuver was so quick, he hadn't been expecting it.

"Chill, Ishida. We're supposed to be _relaxing_."

He settled back, letting his arm hang off the back of the couch.

"I'll be honest with you, anything Ryan Gosling will always have my vote." Of course she started talking the second the movie started.

And even though there was probably no one more annoying to watch a movie with, he couldn't imagine feeling more at ease in anyone else's company.

"Hey, hold on a second… how'd you even manage to get in here?"

-x-

A/N: **SORRY DON'T HATE ME**!

I've been sporadically writing other things though, if that helps any?

To be honest, this was done over the weekend but I have been going back and forth with it for the past three (four?) days because I wasn't entirely sure if I wanted to include everything that I wrote in it. I just couldn't really make up my mind about what to cut (originally I wasn't going to include the Ryo and Mimi scene but something about it wouldn't let me delete) so I just left it all and hope it works.

Seriously though, thank you guys so much for all your really great reviews its seriously what keeps me writing and gosh I am so glad you like this story—seriously YOU ALL MEAN THE WORLD TO ME ( _showers everyone with rainbows and unicorns and skittles_ )

Speaking of reviews, I got a mixed bag this time. Thank you for the constructive criticism as well as the compliments both are appreciated beyond measure. I have taken your concerns into account and hopefully applied them as best I could. Got some weird ones too, like someone saying how they liked my style of writing but I should write for a different fandom where it will be appreciated because this is a sinking ship. This confused me a tad, because it made me ponder as to why this person would want to discourage another person from writing for a ship they were CLEARLY READING. Sorry, dude but Mimato is too legit to quit ;) thanks, though?

To the person who asked me if I review everything I read—the answer is generally, _yes_. I try not to read without reviewing (it does happen once in a while, we're all busy people after all) but I make a conscious effort to review whatever I read all the way through.

The guest who asked me how I got the idea for the boy draft— _One Tree Hill_. I probably should have mentioned that in the prior chapter but it was really late and I completely forgot. But yes, it was not mine and if you guys have read my previous works, you'll know that show is extremely near and dear to my heart (even after all this time)

 **References:  
Lucy Heartfilia** (not mine) if any of you have watched _Fairy Tail_ you know EXACTLY who I'm talking about. If not, it's not really important (shes got blonde hair and brown eyes) but you can google her if you'd like : ) Her personality (while more irritating) reminded me so much of Mimi's.

 **Softbank** : A telecommunication service (cell phone service), in America they bought out Sprint and now own it.

 **SMFG** : Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, one of the largest banks in Japan.

LASTLY (and if you haven't read anything else of this A/N READ THIS): One of the best stories I've come across so far is **Fukushuu** by _SincereFriendship_ ; Do yourself a favor and read it YOU WILL BE HOOKED!

Alright, that's it for this needlessly long, rambling, pointless thing. Read, review enjoy and I hope to hear from you guys soon!


	7. Dance, Dance

" _ **Slow Burn"**_ _(def.): an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time._

-x-

 **Chapter Six:** _Dance, Dance (These Lies You Love to Lead)_

-x-

Matt walked out of his bedroom, wanting nothing more than cup of coffee to cure the hangover that was pounding behind his ears and in his head. What he got, though, was a half-naked Taichi, dressed in a button up collared shirt, pair of boxers and white socks. He was fussing with a tie around his neck, giving the mirror a particularly disgruntled look.

"Mind telling me why you're stripping in our living room?" Matt drawled, entirely unamused by the show.

Tai turned around, " _Fucking_ banquet." He muttered.

"And, jeez, Tai. Why the hell are there so many shirts everywhere!" Matt took in the scene, articles of clothing draped over all their furniture.

"Mimi has been harping about color schemes and matching and stripes and solids and God knows what else." He complained, annoyance seeping into his otherwise carefree tone. "She is seriously a _monster_."

Matt just went over to the kitchen in silence.

"And she's being so difficult about the whole thing." He continued, as he pulled the tie from around his neck. "I mean she's coming over here anyway, would it kill her to pick a shirt and iron it." He said as if the request was more a favor to the brunette than himself.

Matt chuckled, "What color is her dress?" He asked absently.

"God only knows, I mean that's another thing. She couldn't stick to simple shit, right? Like blue or green—hell, even red would suffice." He griped on, "Instead she sends me the word " _obsidian_ "—tell me, what the fuck is an obsidian!" He threw his arms up, gesticulating wildly at the perceived ridiculousness of it all.

"Black."

"What?"

"Obsidian—it's a shade of black." Matt shrugged.

As if a lightbulb went off in his head, a grin spread across Tai's face at lightning speed. "Matt, I could kiss you!" He yelped happily.

"Please don't." Matt said flatly.

Tai practically skipped around the living room, picking up his discarded dress shirts. "I can wear a white shirt." He announced. "No one wants a black on black combination, it would look too _funeral-y_." He had his white dress shirts hanging in his closet, pressed and neatly arranged on hangers.

Something his mother had done for him when he had moved in, and he hadn't touched that side of the closet since.

Thrilled at having his tiny workload cut in half, Tai sanctimoniously plopped down on the now garment free couch, still clad in just boxers and a wife beater, before turning on the T.V. "Mind grabbing me a bowl of cereal while you're in there." He called to Matt, flipping to a sports show.

Matt sighed loudly, "So when's Mimi supposed to get here?" He asked, internally marveling at Tai's ability to drink like a fish & still be annoyingly chatty the next morning, as if he hadn't swallowed his weight in tequila the night before.

"Beats me." He shrugged a shoulder, "Hopefully she's not one of those girls that takes _forever_ to get ready." He said instead, "Looks like the type, though." He added as an afterthought.

"Shouldn't we at least, clean up the place or something?" Matt asked, coming into the room with his coffee mug in one hand and Tai's cereal in the other.

Tai looked at him as he had sprouted a second head. "For _what_?" He asked. "It's just Mimi, dude. She practically lives here half the time anyway." He laughed. "Thanks." He said with a nod, taking the bowl from the blonde.

Matt decidedly said nothing else on the matter, considering it would fall on deaf ears. Tai didn't care about anything, he imagined that even if Tai's fiancé's parents were coming to visit (though this scenario was so far in the future it was hard to even fathom) the brunette wouldn't be bothered to make the place look presentable.

He made a mental note to tidy up as soon as he was feeling less dead, Tai may not worry about what people thought but he could certainly do without Mimi thinking he was a slob.

"You know, it's really annoying how they make these things intercollegiate athlete only." He rambled distractedly, a spoonful of cereal shoved into his mouth. "Half the guys on the team are such lames, too scared to even sneak a flask in." He let out a snort of disbelief. "The other half of them are in _relationships_." He spat the word out like a bad taste.

"How long do these things run, anyway?"

Another shrug, "Too long." He said. "But hey, there's gonna be an after party—we're going to some club downtown so you have to come." He left no room for argument, it was non-negotiable.

His head was throbbing far too much for him to think about another party or another night of drinking.

"I'll see." He answered quietly.

"No way, dude. You haven't wingmanned for me in so long!"

"I don't really like wingmanning for you _at_ _all_." He pointed out.

"You need to get laid, bro." Tai lamented. "Tonight!"

Matt failed to mention that the reason he didn't get "laid" was by choice, not because he couldn't. Truthfully, it was easy—girls didn't really turn him down if he tried. He just wasn't the type to go around nailing down anything with a pulse.

He craved substance and depth, one night stands had never been his style.

He had gotten pretty good at filtering when it came to Tai's rambling, he was always saying something or other though ninety nine percent of the time, the things that came out of the soccer star's mouth were utterly useless. The guy just liked to hear himself talk.

"It's weird though, because you would think Rye wouldn't complain so much that he was stuck with Taylor for this thing."

Matt barely nodded, eyes on his phone screen.

"I mean, at the very least he knows she'll probably go home with him tonight and I don't see anything wrong with that. Taylor is probably the hottest girl I know, and I think we both can agree that's saying _a lot_."

"Definitely." Matt wasn't sure what he had agreed to, as he scrolled through his _Instagram_ feed.

He stopped at a picture Mimi posted, a bouquet of ornately colored and expertly arranged roses—they looked e _xpensive_. He felt curiosity bubbling in his stomach as he looked at the caption which gave no indication of who they were from, just a solid red heart emoji.

"But he's been talking about Mimi a lot. So maybe that's why."

At the sound of her name, his eyes snapped up. "Akiyama better not be trying anything with her." The words came out more aggressively than he had intended.

Mimi was one of his best friends, he wouldn't let anyone take advantage of her. Especially not someone like Ryo Akiyama, whose track record with girls was probably more sordid than Tai's.

Tai gave him a borderline confused look, "Who cares, not like Mimi can't take care of herself." He said honestly.

"She's not that kind of girl and besides, wouldn't you care if it were Kari and Ryo was—

"Don't."

Matt didn't push it, for everything Tai didn't give a shit about, it was made up for tenfold when it came to his baby sister. She was his proverbial _Achilles_ _Heel_.

He focused his attention back on his phone, where he read through Mimi's comments.  
 _Kasumi204_ commented: _Omg M, gorg flowers! New beau?!  
Mimi_tkwa: Kasumi1204 Afraid not, Kas! They're from the only man in my life… Daddy. Lol! Miss you xo_

Feeling a little bit less anxious, as the knot in his chest uncoiled, he closed the application entirely. He felt silly for investigating, even sillier for getting worked up over it. He was sure that if Mimi was to get a boyfriend, he would know about far in advance. After all, didn't she call him her best friend?

Tai was still talking here and there, the remnants of his cereal now discarded on the coffee table. "Well, I'm going to shower. I'd suggest you do the same at _some_ point before your banquet."

-x-

Mimi burst into the loft like a tiny Tasmanian tornado, with a bunch of bags slung over her arms and shoulders. "Hello, can someone help me!" She called out in exasperation.

At the sound of her voice, Matt headed out of his room. "How do you keep managing to get in here?" He asked genuinely concerned, taking more than half of her things with ease.

Mimi rolled her eyes at him, "Hello to you too, friend. What a lovely way to greet someone." She said, kicking her shoes off at the entrance.

"Seriously, are you a professional cat burglar? Did you take locksmith classes in America… what's the deal?"

"No, Yamato. I just watched enough after school specials to know that just about _everyone_ puts a spare key under the welcome mat or in the mailbox."

"So which is it, welcome mat or mailbox?"

Mimi gave him a side eye scowl, "Keep being a jerk, I hope you really do forget one day and you're locked out of your own apartment." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Welcome mat, be a little more creative next time."

Matt nodded, "I'll be sure to relay the message to Tai, considering he's the one that probably placed it there. Since it wasn't me." He didn't need to even think about it to know the brunette had done it, considering the amount of times he would find Tai's actual set of keys laying untouched in various places around the loft.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well, now you know."

"Where do you want me to put all this stuff?" He wanted to ask her why she brought enough things to last her a week, but decided against it.

He was sure the explanation wasn't going to clear things up since it would be in "girl-speak" anyway.

"Could you maybe put it in your room?" She requested sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

Matt gave her a weird look, "Yeah, I guess. Just quit doing that thing with your eyes." He said with a shrug.

Mimi laughed, "I thought maybe it would be convincing or something."

"Not even in the slightest." Matt said with a chuckle.

"Well, it's a good thing for me that you didn't need much convincing, then." She smiled.

Matt set her things down on his bed, "Mimi, I've learned the hard way that it's usually best to give in early when it comes to you."

"Quick study."

-x-

For four hours, she had taken over his room and after the first fifteen minutes, he left to the living which was the only quiet place he had found to be able to study. By the time she emerged though, he had nearly lost his balance.

She was stunning.

Absolutely magnificent.

And there was nothing he could do about the stupid look he had on his face as his eyes travelled the length of her. Drinking in her appearance like expensive wine, feeling himself getting lost in the caramel curls of her perfectly flowing hair and the soft contours of her face and the low plunging neckline of her dress.

It was simple enough, the dress that had caused Tai many outfit changes. Black, nothing flashy, no sequins or glitter, floor length with a large slit on one side, showing off a perfectly toned and blemish free leg up to the thigh, looking miles long extenuated by the strappy heels she had on her feet.

"You… you look." He swallowed thickly, automatically getting to his feet.

With no explanation for the sudden movement.

She felt a blush creep up her neck, "I mean, it only took four hours, right?" She tried playfully.

Matt shifted his weight from foot to foot, trying to find something redeemable to say.

But he couldn't think of a thing—except for how beautiful she was and how much he hated this foreign feeling that was gnawing in the pit of his stomach, like a creature trying to escape a cage.

"Are you going to come to _Aurelia's_ tonight?"

"Hmm?"

"Tai made plans to go to this club— _Aurelia's_?" She tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "He said you would come."

Matt hadn't planned on going, but seeing her right now, immediately he said "Yes, I'll be there." Before he could even control the words coming out.

Mimi nodded, "Great." She smiled.

Tai came out at that moment, fussing with the tie around his neck and furiously checking his phone for the time. "We're going to be late, Mimi!" Without so much as looking up, he went over to bang on Matt's door.

Mimi swallowed her laugh before clearing her throat. "Already out before you, _princess_ _Taichi_." She giggled.

Tai looked up from his half tied tie. "Oh wow, look at you!" He grinned enthusiastically. "Having you on my arm might not be so bad after all." He winked.

Mimi rolled her eyes, "Let's get a move on, diva. We're going to be late." She prompted him.

Tai pulled the knot tightly around his neck, "Did you bring your stuff to change? I think Ryo has a suite at the Imperial."

"Yeap, all in here." She tossed her duffle bag at the brunette.

He caught it with ease, slinging it over his shoulder. "Alright, man. See you tonight then?" He gave Matt a handshake-hug.

Matt's eyes fell on Mimi once more, as she looked up to meet him through an array of thick brown lashes and a bottomless hazel gaze. "Yeah." His voice caught in his throat.

Mimi put her arms around him cautiously, and suddenly he was acutely aware of the heat radiating off her body. He loosely wrapped an arm around her slender waist, careful not to touch any bare skin.

As he watched them leave out of the door, he struggled to ignore the feeling that _everything_ was changing.

And fast.

-x-

 _The Imperial Hotel_ was every bit as extravagant and gorgeous as she had been expecting it to be and Mimi briefly registered how highly athletics was valued at Tokyo University, that they would spend so much money to have a banquet here.

Tai was greeted by almost every single person on their way in, from coaches, to teachers, to other athletes and she spent most of it introducing herself and accepting compliments.

He led her over to the table, where she took a seat beside Zoe by default. Not that she was complaining, she and the blonde may not see eye to eye about much, but it was a hell of a lot better to sit with her than anyone else.

She was glowing and flawless, not that anyone could have expected any less from a girl who had the face for paintings and a body made for the runway. Clad in a classy seafoam gown, a jeweled strap over one shoulder and cinched at the waist, bringing out deep green flecks in her otherwise cool blue irises. With her glittering hair parted down the middle and falling pin straight down her back.

"You look gorgeous, Mimi." The blonde beamed.

Mimi smiled back, "As if you have any room to talk." She said honestly. "You're perfect."

"Are you coming out tonight?"

Mimi nodded, "As soon as this thing is over." But she had a feeling it was going to drag.

She hated these kind of events.

"Me Rye both have rooms here, so if you want come up to mine if you want to get ready and stuff because lord knows it's probably going to be tough to do with them." She jabbed a thumb at Ryo and Tai who were discreetly passing a flask back and forth.

Mimi gave her a grateful look, "Definitely. So what's going to happen tonight anyway?"

"The President of the college is going to give a speech. Then he's going to hand out the awards from last season for all the sports teams and players." She explained. "We're going to have dinner and then Mrs. Lee will probably get up there and give some long monologue about fundraising and charity." She rolled her eyes. "And then there might be a brief dance before dessert."

Mimi sighed, it was going to be a long night.

-x-

A slow song began to play, and Tai came over to her, offering his hand to her with a bow. She put a delicate hand in his open one, allowing him to lead her on to the dance floor. She properly placed her other hand on his shoulder, sending a practiced but dignified smile around to the onlookers.

Mimi followed his lead as was customary, pleased at how easily he moved to the music, just as coordinated off the field as he was on.

He expertly twirled her, before bringing her back to him, Mimi, who hadn't be expecting such proficiency from the goofy brunette, landed against his chest with a soft thud. "You're good." She noticed.

"I suspected you'd be a bit surprised."

"Do you blame me?"

Tai shook his head, "Not at all, I aim to impress." He told her, his lips almost brushing the tip of her ear.

Mimi gave a half smile, as she confidently fell into step with him. "Well, then I suppose you aren't the worst partner to have at these things, huh?"

"I wouldn't think so. Though, I don't think I can say the same."

Mimi lightly smacked his shoulder. "We both know that's not true." She took a step forward as he took a large step back.

"You're so sure, huh?" He raised his brows. "Why? Because you're easily the most beautiful girl here?" He asked earnestly.

She couldn't help the blush that rose in her cheeks then, "Your words, not mine." She said, still maintaining her composure.

He chuckled, "Careful now, watch the dip." He said, as he smoothly brought her into low dip, his face inches away from hers before bringing her back up.

"You certainly are a paradox, aren't you." She said pensively.

Tai just shrugged a shoulder, "If you say so." He said. "Closed change." He took a long stride forward and she deftly shifted her weight to her back foot in allowance.

By this time, she knew there were quite a few people mildly mesmerized by their ability to maintain a relatively complex dance structure with such ease and fluidity.

"Everyone's watching." She mentioned quietly.

He spun her out, hand still in his, as her other arm outstretched in the opposite direction. "Really?" He brought her in, an arm wrapped around her torso with the other around the front of her waist, "I hadn't noticed." He whispered into the soft skin of her neck.

She felt every hair on her body stand up, as she gracefully fell back into step with him. "I'm not one of those floozies whose panties you can charm off." She quirked an eyebrow at him, letting him know she was onto his game.

Tai chuckled, "Charm?" He asked innocently. "I would never. Besides, you're spoken for."

"Am I?"

"Yes, and I've never been one to interfere with destiny." He winked.

Mimi rolled her eyes, "And apparently _I'm_ dramatic." She drawled.

"Anyway, I need you to level with me here, Tachikawa." He said evenly.

Mimi raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in his tone, "Alright."

"This thing with you and Ishida, what is it? And _don't_ say nothing." He cut her off as she opened her mouth to give her knee jerk reaction.

Mimi furrowed her brows, "We're friends, you know we are." She insisted.

"Yeah, but there's something else there." He wasn't the most perceptive, he didn't care to be. But Matt and Mimi's chemistry was practically bludgeoning.

It didn't take detective like prowess to pick up on it.

Mimi tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, "I don't know what you want to hear, some deep unrequited secret about undying devotion or something equally as cliché." She said quietly. "But it's just not there, Tai." She sighed.

He surveyed her intently, "You're sure?" Brown eyes bore into her hazel ones, hunting them for the hint of a lie.

But Mimi didn't break at the contact, "I'm sure." She lifted up her chin. "What is this all about, anyway?" She looked at him searchingly

"Ryo's my boy." He started. "And he's got a thing for you—I don't know how deep it is but it's something." He shrugged indifferently. "But in order of importance, he's always gonna be second to Matt." And it was without any ill intent that he said it.

Mimi nodded slowly, but remained silent.

Tai gave her an agile turn, "So my point is, I don't want to be the middle man in this situation—at all. And I definitely don't want things to get messy." He clarified. "If you and Ishida have something going on, or there's potential or even the slightest chance, just tell me."

Mimi opened her mouth to answer in the perfunctory manner she always did, but something about the intensity of his gaze made her promptly shut it.

"Say the word, Meems. I'll tell Akiyama to back off."

Mimi looked over at the boy in question, at the exact moment his jade eyes snapped up to meet her own.

She shook her head, "No, you don't need to." She decided. "Matt and I, we're stable. And yeah, maybe there's chemistry but that doesn't mean we aren't better off as friends. Sometimes, it's best to leave well enough alone."

Instead of in ruins.

-x-

He felt horribly out of place, silently thankful that he had somehow managed to get Ken to come with him. If he knew Taichi half as well as he was sure he did, he was positive the brunette would be half way to incoherent by now

Trying to catch up would be stressful at best.

And he knew that in order to be in this environment, he couldn't be sober.

Sora had accompanied them as well, but he knew it was only because the redhead didn't want to show up alone. The second they would spot the group, she'd make a beeline for Mimi then most definitely Sam.

The goalie's texts had been incessant up until the moment Sora had confirmed she was in the cab and on her way.

Ken, who didn't really like to pry into his older brother's business in any capacity, even admitted that Sam was smitten.

And the grin that followed after that emission never left Sora's face.

The club was dim, with practically blinding strobing lights and pulsating music. He knew that hearing outside of a five inch vicinity was futile at this point.

But it wasn't hard to find them, Tai still audibly boisterous even given the loud atmosphere. His chocolate eyes lit up at the sight of his best friends. "Yamato!" A grin split his face practically in two as he came over to them.

Mimi, who had not heard anything Tai had said all night, happened to hear that one word, and shamelessly scrambled to her feet. She hadn't texted Matt all night to make sure he was coming, afraid of coming off too clingy or annoying (which was so weird because she never really cared about that sort of thing before), so aside from the confirmation he had given her back at the loft, she actually had no idea if he would really show up or not.

She had changed out of the classic black gown, into a sinfully tight dress and Matt was forcefully reminded once again that red was _her_ color.

Her lips were stained ruby, from wine or lipstick he wasn't sure, but they looked heavenly. Her ringlets had long since fallen into the cool waves he was used to and the smile she was sending in his direction was practically illuminating.

Fucking hell, she was _devastating_.

Even in a peel on dress that had practically molded itself to every curve of her body, exposing legs a mile long—she was _ethereal_.

But amidst the haze of appreciation and enchantment clouding his mind, Matt could hear the alarm bells sounding off, alerting him. He was getting too close, moving too fast, they were one wrong move away from a crash.

He would do well to avoid her tonight, there was no telling where things could go once his self-control was compromised.

"Sora, you're in a fucking skirt!" Tai hollered and it snapped the blonde right out of his thoughts.

"Oh, well spotted." She said with a roll of her amber eyes.

Tai, who was now _visibly_ drunk, only laughed. "It looks good on you." He enveloped her in a friendly hug.

And even though he was irritating at best, no one could stay mad at Tai very long (least of all Sora) so after a few seconds of the bear hug, she grudgingly reciprocated, allowing Tai to litter a few kisses into the side of her hair.

Slowly, Mimi bridged the gap between herself and the the pair of boys, knowing that Tai and Sora would be involved in a conversation for at least the next five minutes.

They had a way of tuning everyone else out, and it probably came from knowing someone for as well and as long as they had known each other.

"Hey." She raised a hand, feeling the fuzzy effects of alcohol in her brain.

He looked different, maybe it was the lighting (or lack thereof) or maybe it was her state, or maybe it was the aftershocks of the conversation she had breached with Tai. But something was just…

Different.

She got a funny feeling in the bottom of her stomach, as she took in his carelessly perfect appearance. His tousled blonde hair and those cloudy cobalt eyes and penetrating gaze.

Matt had moved closer to her, opening his mouth to say something, when he was interrupted by Tai's sudden turn to him. "What the hell are you guys just standing around for, come on—we're here to fucking party!"

And with that, he led them over to the VIP area where the rest of the group was. Zoe's greedy cerulean eyes soaked Matt up instantly, not that _that_ was a surprise, but the fact that her eyes shifted to Ken—was.

She hurriedly whispered something to whichever blonde was on her left, and the girl agreed, nodding her head vigorously.

An unabashed smile crossed the goalie's face at the sight of a pretty redhead, standing up instantly to greet her. The easily fell into a conversation, as he poured her a drink.

Tai gave Matt a stiff drink, that was all gin and barely anything else, and even though it was foul to drink—the blonde knew it would get the job done.

Zoe had quickly accosted Mimi for information of the raven haired boy who was hanging with Matt, and Mimi (all too eagerly) supplied her with any information she had, insisting that Zoe talk to him.

Initial awkwardness to the side, with enough alcohol flowing, it didn't take long for everyone to get comfortable. And after a drink or two, Mimi could spy Matt loosening up from the corner of her eye.

He actually even chuckled at something Ryo said and it was enough to elicit a giggle from her own throat.

She had no idea what had been said, but he looked absolutely _irresistible_ when he laughed.

And even though his brooding mystery had always been emphasized as the credit to his appeal, in that moment she was sure she had to disagree. Because a smiling Matt Ishida was a thing worthy of exaltation _._

He was transcendent.

Mimi knew it was the alcohol to blame, otherwise her gaze wouldn't have lingered on her best friend for so long. She had become increasingly impatient to see him as the night went on, and now that he was finally in front of her, she could hardly keep her eyes off of him. It didn't help matters any that he wasn't giving her the time of day, hardly even turning in her direction all night.

It only made her crave his attention even more.

If she was sober, she knew she would have been confused by this. But right now, she couldn't care less.

When she finally averted her gaze, she caught Sora's eye, as Sam effortlessly pulled the redhead onto his lap, and she looked genuinely happy.

And Mimi couldn't be happier for her.

Now if only they would _finally_ kiss, it might just seal the deal and almost Doctor Jyou Kido might actually be left in the past for once and for all.

After her fourth (maybe more like fifth) drink, Zoe perked up the courage to go sit by Ken and Matt and it didn't take much for the alluring blonde to engage them in conversation. She was, after all, Izumi Orimoto, not only one of the most beautiful girls at Tokyo Univerity but one of the most popular.

There was seldom a time where she didn't get her way.

"Can you please go work some _Mimi_ _magic_ on Ryo so I can get Tai alone." One of the blondes huffed in her ear.

Mimi shook her head, "No way." She nodded her head towards the girl who was perched on the top of the seat right beside Ryo Akiayama. "I am keeping my distance tonight." And she had been, all night—from the very beginning.

At the beginning, she had been visibly irritated by the fact that she couldn't get a second alone with Ryo. She had genuinely wanted to be in the green-eyed defensemen's company, especially after the other night. But for some reason, he was quickly forgotten once Matt had gotten to the club.

It was strange and she might have dwelled on it, but tonight, she just wanted to enjoy herself.

It was well past midnight when Mimi had dragged all the girls onto the dancefloor, knowing it wouldn't be too long before the boys followed. She was happily inebriated and now all she wanted was to feel the music and move her body.

A hip hop song with a fabulous beat began to play and let herself move on her own, feeling everything all at once.

It was a stark juxtaposition to the music she had been dancing to earlier, but she had fell in sync with it just the same. Relaxing her limbs and allowing herself to get lost in the sound.

Sam slunk an arm around the back of Sora's waist. Sora, punch drunk and seemingly love drunk, didn't waste any time turning around and placing her arms around the goalie's neck.

What happened next was foreseeable to just about every single person with half a teaspoon's worth of sense. Sam leaned in, covering the redhead's lips with his own.

Mimi knew Sora wouldn't be returning back to the girl dance circle that had formed.

Mimi swayed her hips to the beat, singing along to the song with Zoe as she and blonde began to dance with each other in a tastefully provocative manner. There were a few hoots and hollers, and a voice that had sounded a lot like Tai's yelling, "Now, kiss!"

Which was followed by, "Shut up, bro. That's my sister!" Inevitably coming from Ryo.

"Not my sister, though." Tai shrugged.

Mimi rolled her eyes, "You've got moves, blondie." She giggled over the music.

"Right back at ya!" Zoe hip-bumped her.

Taylor had forcefully gotten Ryo on the floor, Ryo who looked a little less sullen, halfheartedly allowed Taylor to dance against him as he remained rooted in place sipping a beer.

Tai caught one of the blonde's wrists (probably Catherine, but who could ever be sure with Tai), leading her over to him with a smirk. The blonde, who looked as though she had been waiting for this moment her entire life, practically jumped at the chance to gyrate against him, thrusting her hips backwards and around.

By the time Zoe had coaxed Ken into a dance, Mimi was twirling alone—but she didn't mind in the slightest.

She felt good, really good.

And the music was practically empowering.

Her skin felt slick, as she tossed her hair into a pony tail.

Through half lidded eyes, she caught a familiar glint of blonde hair, following it to where Matt stood, drink in hand, shoulder against the wall.

In a moment of poignant bravery that could _only_ be classified as liquid courage, she made her way over to him.

Wordlessly, she grabbed his hand and if he was stunned, she didn't know it, only that he was following her. She moved along to the music, inching closer and closer to him, until her backside was right up against his groin.

It took him a minute, but he put his hands on her hips as she swayed them against his pelvis. In a half drunk daze, he barely registered the fact that Mimi's _glorious_ behind was pressed up against an easily excitable appendage—and if she kept rolling her hips like _that_ , it wouldn't be long until she felt it.

He knew on some level, he should stop this. But she felt so good in his arms and she smelled like heaven and she was moving in a way he wasn't even sure was possible.

His hands traveled down her sides, travelling over the cut outs of her dress, feeling the smooth skin over her ribs under his fingertips.

She sucked in a sharp breath at the contact of his his skin against hers, his fingertips leaving a trail of embers behind them, setting her entire being ablaze.

She felt him beginning to move with her, falling into a steady rhythm behind her and it was a complete body high.

Without warning, he turned her around in his arms, and she was face to face with his stormy blue eyes like turbulent waves breaking. She felt him pull her up against him, and she couldn't stop herself from grinding her hips against him.

She saw his eyes darken with something she had never seen in them before…

 _Desire._

And it sent a shiver from the top of her spine down to her toes.

Mimi felt her hands moved of their own accord, travelling the hard planes of his chest, then over his strong arms.

A gasp escaped her as she felt something hard pressing into her, flooding her entire body with pulsing temptation, pooling at the center.

Her tongue darted out of her mouth to moisten her lips and Matt stifled a groan, because in this alcohol induced state, all he could think about was wanting to—

"Mimi." Sora's voice distinctly called out from behind them.

They jumped apart like pieces of shrapnel, feeling a surge of sobriety wash over them like a bucket of ice water.

Mimi managed a smile, "Details, S. _Now_." She demanded in a carefully concocted cheerful manner.

Sora looked between the brunette and blonde carefully, before nodding.

And as Sora led her away to the girls room to undoubtedly tell her everything, Mimi couldn't bring herself to manage a backwards glance at Matt.

None of it meant anything.

It was just a dance.

They were just drunk.

They were _just friends_.

-x-

(The personal thank you's which you guys totally deserve & I have been slacking on are at the end, so if you want to skip to it, you can)

A/N: SUCH A LENGTHY SEPERATION. I'M SO SORRY TO ALL YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO ARE SO GOOD TO ME AND I TOTALLY DON'T DESERVE ANY OF IT.

Alright, so once again—This was actually pretty much done three weeks ago, it just needed tweaking. But I had such serious writer's block about how to fix it or where to cut and what to keep. And it's such tedious work just editing and revising that I have no excuse for not doing except that my lazy ass just couldn't find the motivation to do it. I honestly agonized over whether or not I should keep the bit at the end (Matt and Mimi's salacious grinding) because I just wasn't sure if I was ready to do it—but I chose to keep it in because the chapter felt super incomplete without.

Thinking about investing in a Beta, because it might help. So if anyone's interested, has the credentials and has the time, feel free to PM

So, what'd you guys think? Was it at least kind of worth the wait? Any suggestions or critiques? I'm open to it all.

Also, 10 points to anyone who can figure out where I got the "Oh, well spotted" line from (or who I was channeling)

 **Exit Poll** : So out of general curiosity, which pairing do you guys prefer?  
Sam/Sora  
Jyou/Sora  
Tai/Sora  
And if you have anything other than the three mentioned, feel free to let me know as well.

 **To My Reviewers** :

 **Tarts Wardrobe** : Thank you for the review! So happy to see you're still interested in my work even after all these years, I remember interacting a few years ago, always super nice to hear from a familiar face :)

 **Mingming08** : I haven't watched Tri bc of Sorato either, I really just can't stomach it in any form to be honest. Thank you so much for the review and I'm so glad to hear you're liking the story so far. I was tentative about putting it up (still am) because I've been out of the Mimato game for so long, I was completely unsure if I would still be alright at writing them.

 **Mimatotrash** : I loved your review! It was super insightful and very helpful, thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement. I agree with you that just about anyone is shippable out of the dd's and I am really liberal about side pairings—I love unconventional (though I do love Taiora a bit more sometimes lol) Tai being a soccer stud with a frat boy mentality is the most fun to write because I honestly feel like his character could have gone this way had there been a college counterpart to teenage Tai. LOL, Sam and Sora happened on a whim, but people seem to be liking them so far so I'm really glad that worked out. I honestly really love that song, I'm glad you thought it fit well with the scene because I was literally going for that exact angle, ambiance and nostalgia. A big thank you once again, hope to hear from you again sometime!

 **Sincere Friendship** : You know I love you and your stories and everything you write ever so the shout out was totally necessary, practically mandatory. Thank youuuuu for everything you said in your review, I honestly value your opinion SO MUCH because of how long we've known each other on the site as well as because of how great your writing style! I'm glad the wait was worth it (hopefully it was worth it this time too) I feel like Mimi is so easy to write you can kind of write her shipped with anyone and it comes off cute, because she's so damn cute. As for Ryo and Mimi… I have plans (maniacal laugh) Once again, thanks so much for taking out the time to review and for the love of everything holy UPDATE FUKUSHUU.

 **Guest (1)** : Thank you! I appreciate that so much

 **Supernaturalfan17980** : Thanks for the review and for taking the time out to read my work, hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **Cancercute** : YOU'RE TOO KIND (a million crying emojis) I'm glad you liked the beach scene, it was a personal fave—it really just wrote itself. P.O was totally my baby and the support I received for it was enormous and incomparable (especially from you) but I've been thinking about revamping and editing it for a while, so maybe over the summer I'll give it a shot! The review you left for it recently literally warmed my heart so much, and to be honest, it's very much part of the reason I decided to come back to the Mimato community—so thank YOU, because I probably wouldn't have even written this had you not said such touching things. I hope this chapter was worth the wait and thank you for always supporting my work, it means the world to me.

 **OnceUponAnOriginal** : Thank you so much for the review, really appreciate it. Hope this chapter was to your liking and I hope to hear from you soon! Let me know what you thought.

 **Angelic Moonlight** : Thank you so much for reviewing! I loved hearing from you. I agree that the mimato shippers/writers have gotten to be few and far between but I'm also super excited and really happy about the high caliber of writing that this fandom is seeing now. I feel like most of what I've read as of late has been relatively well written and hasn't lacked depth—though I do wish more people wrote chapter stories. I recently read your work " _An Unexpected Change_ " and I'm so glad you got back into writing! I'm honestly really loving it so far, it's really cute and light hearted. I'm so glad you're writing a multi chapter fic because like I said, we're definitely lacking in that department, can't wait for you to continue it! Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait, let me know what you thought of it!

 **NarutoBaby22** : I like Takari, but I also find them boring from time to time (don't kill me—they're still so sweet and cute!) and I always end up writing them super one dimensionally. As it is, I think Davis is really fun and I wanted to explore their relationship because I've never actually wrote them as a couple before. Mimi is super shippable, agreed. I think I mentioned the Taiora thing in the PM I sent you, nothing's changed! Thanks a bunch for your time, hope to hear from you soon!

 **H0neybunny16:** I love Mimato and Michi too, they're def my top couples (but taiora definitely ties with Michi)—there was a pseudo-michi moment here so I hope you liked it :) thanks so much for your kind words and support, means a lot! Hope to hear from you soon!

 **Guest (2)** : Yes, the consensus definitely seems to be that Mimi is super shippable, she's just so darn cute! I do have an affliction for the Mimi-Matt-Tai angle (see: the train wreck Bermuda love triangle from hell that was Polar Opposites) but it *probably* won't go that way here (key word: probably, mwaahahahhha) AWWW THANKS FOR SAYING THAT! Its such a huge compliment when anyone tells me that my work impacted the Mimato community, I literally feel the warm and fuzzies in my whole entire being so many thank you's.

 _OVER ALL I have so much love for everyone who reads and reviews my work, it means the most to me and I will never be able to convey it with words (ironically) but I try. You're all so amazing! You guys make my day! I could cry._

Until next time!

 **P.S** : Chapter title is from the Fall Out Boy song _Dance, Dance_ —I'm also very well aware that the words in the parenthesis are not the actual lyrics but a.) that's honestly what I thought he said for a really long time and b.) it fits better with the theme of this chapter.


	8. Awkward is the Watchword

" _ **Slow Burn"**_ _(def.): an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time._

-x-

 **Chapter Eight:** _Awkward is the Watchword_

-x-

His hands traveled over her skin, his mouth placed hot open mouthed kisses along her jaw, trailing roughly across her chin then down to her neck. A gasp escaped her as he expertly trailed his tongue across the sensitive flesh along the nape of her neck, he had just bitten. She felt herself arching against him, her back lifting off the mattress in an effort to press herself closer to him.

"Eager." He purred against her skin, the uneven reverberation sending tremors down her spine.

She rid him of his shirt as soon as she willed her hands to move and he repaid the favor instantly, before burying his face in her soft, supple breasts.

His hand dipped into her underwear and she was surprised she wasn't wearing pants, had he rid her of those too? Or had just not been wearing any the whole time?

The questions were silenced as soon as she allowed him to brush his finger against her center. When he slipped a finger into her folds, she couldn't control the moan that left her lips, couldn't control as she thrust her hips against him. All coherency left her, once his mouth began its descent to her stomach. She mewled when he slipped another finger inside her, her breath coming out in rough pants as her fingers threaded into his soft blonde hair…

" _Matt_ , please don't stop."

And she felt him smirk against her stomach, as he pumped his fingers languidly inside her. "Will you beg me?" He whispered.

At that moment, he could've asked her to sign her soul to him and she would have, with all the glorious things he was doing to her body.

" _Please_." She reiterated, her voice low and throaty.

He groaned into her skin abruptly pulling his hand out of her now soaking panties. Before she could make a sound to protest, he had claimed her lips roughly for his own, taking fistfuls of her soft brown hair between his fingers. She bit his bottom lip and heard him let out a hiss, pulling back her head with light tug. A moan left her mouth at her hair being pulled and she was almost embarrassed by it, but he just smirked at her.

"Do you like that Mimi?

"Mimi?"

" _Mimi_!"

The brunette awoke with a shock, chest heaving up and down and eyes unfocused. As her brain began reeling, trying to process what had just happened and that it was indeed only a dream, she saw Sora smiling at her from the other side of the room. "Sorry to wake you, I'm sure the dream you were having was absolutely _riveting_." She paused to send Mimi a wink. "But we're gonna be late for class if you don't get a move on."

Mimi blinked a few times, looking at the time on her phone.

"Who was it about?" Sora sipped her coffee with a mischievous glint in her eye, clearly reveling in the whole thing.

Mimi rolled her eyes, jumping out of bed and heading towards the closet.

"Must've been good, had you tangled up in your sheets."

"It's been a while, Sor. Things get frustrating." Mimi said with an unabashed grin. "Not all of us have hot goalie boys at our beck and call, you know." She pulled her shirt over her head, throwing it to the floor.

Sora got up from the bed, moving to stand behind Mimi, "Well, hot goalie boys or not, I can…" She trailed her fingers over the skin of Mimi's bare back. "Maybe, _help_ you… with those frustrations."

The brunette sucked in a surprised breath, "Sora…" She breathed out. "I thought you'd never offer." She turned around with a wicked smile.

Sora giggled, rubbing her hands over Mimi's upper arms. "You have such a nice body." She pouted ruefully, examining the girl with unwavering intensity.

"Shut it, tennis star. You're bod is to die for." She tugged at the end of a scarlet lock. "Besides, look at those legs!"

Sora wasted no time in putting a hand behind Mimi's neck. "I've never actually…with a girl before." She said, a light blush rising in her cheeks.

Mimi laughed her twinkly tinkerbell laugh, "Oh how fun, it'll be _so_ experimental." She said melodically, claiming Sora's lips for her own. "Very college." She winked.

"Matt."

"What was that, Mimi?"

" _Matt_."

Her voice grew louder.

" _Ishida!"_

Matt sat up in his bed just as suddenly as Mimi's voice had turned into Tai's. "What the hell, bro! Where are the damn house keys I'm going to be late." The brunette barged in, and Matt scrambled to pull the sheets over his legs.

Matt, who had drank his weight in vodka just the night before, was cursing Tai for not only being awake before noon but for having the audacity to be so boisterous.

Did the guy _ever_ get a hang over?

"Kamiya, how the _fuck_ am I supposed to know where your keys are." He growled.

Tai, who had a muffin stuffed in his mouth, only shrugged. "I just know I had to have given them to you because I was plastered last night." He could see crumbs falling out of the soccer star's mouth, giving him a natural repellent to the feelings he had been having moments ago.

Thankfully, Tai's disgusting eating habits were beginning to get the blood flowing to other places and fast.

"Did you ever think you didn't bring them out in the first place?"

Tai waved him off with a hand, "I'm not that reckless." He sounded so sure, but Matt knew he was full of it.

Tai was the very definition of careless.

The blonde had had just about enough when soccer star decided to go peering into his closet, touching his beloved guitar with chocolate chip muffin hands.

"You've got _maybe_ three seconds to get out." If only he could get up right now, he would've literally kicked Tai out on his ass.

Tai ignored the blonde, "Yo, why didn't you bring a girl home last night?"

"Maybe because I live with _you._ "

"You just seriously need to get laid, man. All that pent up aggression could be put to good use." And if the words coming out of the brunette's mouth weren't annoying enough, he had the nerve to sound like a psychologist while saying them. "I know some girls that would be interested, a little busted in the face but you know you can work your way up…"

" _Three_."

"They'd literally jump at the chance, you gotta hear the way half of these bimbos talk about you—

" _Two_."

"And if it was Mimi, then it can be arranged as well. You two are weird about admitting shit but—

"You're _dead_ , Kamiya." Matt barked, a murderous glare shot towards the brunette as he moved to get off his bed.

And Tai, who knew that homicidal look from a mile away, ran out of the room with a small yelp.

-x-

She stared at the ceiling, hands folded over her stomach, a glaring headache pulsing behind her eyes without the strength to move.

Sora had left advil and a glass of water beside her bed before leaving to start her day, but Mimi couldn't bring herself to take it.

 _I don't deserve relief, this hangover is rightful punishment._

Her conscious was being dramatic again, but still, she felt compelled to listen and dwell in her pathetic, comatose state.

Because it was closing in on two PM and she was still in bed and she probably should have gone out and enjoyed the day a bit with her best friend, but she couldn't because she was absolutely mortified by her actions from the night before.

She hadn't seen Matt the rest of the night and it was probably for the best too because who knows what her drunk self would have done at that point, she practically accosted the guy on sight.

She cringed painfully at the memory, why was she so unable to control herself.

 _It was Matt of all people, what the hell!_

He hadn't said a word to her, and it wouldn't have been too peculiar under normal circumstances, but given what happened the night before, she only had to assume he felt just as weird and confused as she did.

 _Then again, it's Matt, so who knows. Emotions aren't really his thing…_

She blew up a strand of hair, squeezing shut her hazel eyes, trying desperately to erase the segmented memories from her brain.

It was bleary, but vivid at the same time.

And more than being able to see the moments, she could feel them, smell him, practically taste…

She shook her head, instantly regretting it when she felt a pang of pain in the back of her head.

She grabbed the pillow beside her and shoved it over her face before letting out an aggravated scream into it.

"Why do you have to be so emotionally stunted, Ishida." She complained.

If it was anyone else, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But Matt was such a wild card, so damn unpredictable.

 _And so freakin' unreadable…_

She'd always hated that about him, how aloof he was. Closed off, and detached.

It was hard being his friend, easier now than ever before, but hard enough still.

Matt wasn't open, ever and it was always a guessing game with him. To an extent, she understood him and she understood that things that came naturally for her, didn't for him. He had become so used to people letting him down at such a young age, he never quite learned how to trust properly. And while she knew how much he cared for everyone he loved, that didn't exactly extend to allowing them in.

Mimi reached to grab her phone off her side table, the time flashed at her 1:46PM.

If only she had something to do, she would be more motivated to get herself together.

But Sora was at some club meeting or maybe she'd said it was Tennis or maybe it was neither and she was just with Sam but either way she was unavailable for the day.

Tai had an away game and she wondered how the hell any of them would even be functional enough to play tonight, but that was their problem, not hers.

And normally, she wouldn't even have to think twice about popping up at the loft and making Matt hang out with her, but today she could barely even think about it long enough without shuddering.

 _He probably thinks I'm such a creep…_

She resisted the urge to let out another scream, "Drunk Mimi—you and I have to have a serious chat about actions and consequences." She grumbled.

-x-

The Pavillion, was located in the middle of campus, a field of lush greenery, architected in a wide stepping stone fashion, each step stretching the width of the entire field as it descended where it eventually met the concrete of the sidewalk. It was the only place on campus where people went solely to relax and hang out.

"You know what sucks?"

"Hm?"

"The weather's about to get colder."

"So?"

Tai hopped onto the railing he was leaning against, "So, we're not going to see any more of this." He nodded towards a group of girls laid out in shorts and tank tops and bathing suit tops.

Matt just let out an unamused snort, "You really are a dog, aren't you." He mentioned offhandedly.

"If it means I appreciate the female form, then sure. Call me king of the dogs." He grinned.

"As you wish, your _lowness_."

Tai ignored the blonde as he waived over a pair of girls in the distance, it took Matt a second to realize that it wasn't just some of his fan girls he was calling over because he was bored. It was verily indeed Sora and Mimi, he'd know that orange-red hair anywhere.

He felt his stomach drop, his vivid dream from the other morning coming back to him with a vengeance.

Before he could say or do anything else, the girls had closed the distance between them. Sora was dressed in a simple white t-shirt and cut-off jean shorts. While Mimi had opted for a white sundress with a halter neck, giving him a distracted view of her cleavage.

He kept his gaze over her head, barely grunting out a greeting as the two of them situated themselves between the two boys.

Mimi was talking a mile a minute, complaining about something that had happened during her practice, while Tai and Sora struggled to keep up. He wasn't listening though, he was having hard enough of a time just standing with the two of them after the ridiculous positions he'd seen them in in his mind.

It was not okay for him to imagine his two closest girlfriends that way, regardless of how hot other guys might think they are.

He was sure that Sora and Mimi were probably the subject of many a guy's fantasies, but they were off limits to him. He was not allowed to objectify the two of them that way.

He swallowed a dry lump in his throat.

"What's his problem?" He vaguely heard Sora say, seeing the redhead jab a thumb at him unabashedly through his peripheral vision.

Tai shrugged a shoulder, "You know mister gloom and doom, he just begs to have something to brood over." He said, animatedly exasperated. "Besides, it's not like Mimi gives anyone room to get in a word edgewise, anyway." He goaded the brunette with a smirk.

Mimi scowled at him, "You are so _rude_!" She shrieked, shoving his shoulder.

But she knew why he was acting so strange, she was almost certain of it. Because they hadn't seen each other since the club, which was going on five days ago. Literally barely spoke to each other, save over text here and there, but this was the first time they had been face to face. She was sure he was regretting getting so close to her, probably wishing it never happened.

He didn't see her that way, she knew that, and he was drunk that night (as was she) and maybe they let something get carried away a little more than it should have.

She could literally punch herself in the face for it, more specifically, punch her drunk self in the face.

Because really, it was her fault.

And Sober Mimi was the one having to deal with the consequences.

At a loss for how to fix it, how to make him look at her, she just averted her gaze. Keeping her hazel eyes darting around on everything else but him.

"Earth to Ishida, are you going to come out of your vegetative state sometime today or are we stuck with this permanently mute version of yourself." Sora snapped her fingers in front of the blonde's eyes.

"Oooh! Mime Matt!" Tai said excitedly. "Okay, wait I got this. Right now, you're stuck in an invisible box, right? Right!" He exclaimed energetically, leaping off the railing and landing in front of Matt.

Mimi could see the nerve jumping at the side of Matt's head, brows furrowing, jaw clenching.

She paled, Tai was in for it now.

"Alright, drat. Not the box thing. Okay, I'll get it don't tell me." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I gotta say, you're a shitty mime, but—

"Don't you have anything better to do than be a menace to society?" Sora intervened, hands on her hips.

Tai shifted his attention to the redhead, "Now that you mention it, I probably do." She hated the look on his face after he said that.

Sora's eyes widened when he started to get closer to her, "What are you doing?" She asked cautiously, taking a few steps backwards.

When Tai began waggling his fingers towards her, she yelled out an uncharacteristically girlish screech. "Don't you dare, Taichi Kamiya. I swear on everything that's holy I will murder you if you come near me with _those_."

Tai, who had never been deterred by Sora's idle threats just grinned, "I'll give you a head start Takenouchi. Let's see who's _really_ faster."

Sora knew he wasn't kidding and to get away from his stupid childish antics, she took off in the opposite direction.

True to his word, Tai counted to ten before taking off after her. "Here comes the tickle monster Sora…" And before either Matt or Mimi could protest, the pair was out of sight.

Leaving them looking around searchingly, waiting for something to pop out of thin air so they'd have something other than what happened the other night to talk about.

Matt who was normally so incredibly hard to read, was an open book of awkwardness right now.

And while she had originally thought she would be able to address the situation, she could see it would be impossible right now.

As the seconds ticked by she could practically see steel doors closing off the vault to his thoughts, he wasn't ready.

"You know, I um. I have to…" He was fumbling around, trying to find the right words.

The right excuse.

And it was to no avail, because all he could see was her stupid red dress and those glorious long legs and how she felt wrapped up in him and it was driving him crazy.

She shook her head, "Yeah, me too." She wasn't going to force him into a corner, when Matt wanted to talk, he would.

Right now, he just looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but standing in front of her.

And Mimi would oblige him that.

"I'll see you, Mimi." He looked at her briefly, before shoving his hands in his pockets.

She didn't say anything else to him, just watching him turn and walk away.

With a shake of her head, she accepted that this was most likely how she should have expected their first meeting to go anyway.

If he felt any of what she was feeling, especially the confusion, his response was to shut it all off and push it aside until he was ready to handle it.

Unfortunately, that probably equated to pushing her away too.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Zoe and her posse of blonde airheads waving her over with all too much enthusiasm.

With a steadying breath she put on a rehearsed smile, waving back before heading over to them.

-x-

"Matt sure was acting weird today, huh?" Sora mentioned as the two got ready for bed.

Mimi pulled a brush through her hear. "Heh…yeah. Weird." She said nervously, her eyes darting around the room cautiously.

Sora gave her a side eye glance, "Okay…now what's _your_ problem?" She arched a brow.

"Me? Nothing!" She exclaimed quickly. "Why, why would anything be…" She didn't bother finishing the statement.

She was a shit liar.

"Huh, I guess that's exactly how someone who _isn't_ hiding absolutely anything behaves." The redhead rolled her eyes.

Mimi chewed her bottom lip between her teeth, internally agonizing over whether or not she should let Sora in on the _real reason_ Matt had been acting so funny.

Namely, that is was _all her fault._

Sora held an impatient auburn gaze on the brunette, waiting for her to get settled into bed. "Well, are you going to come out with it or not?" She asked.

Mimi sighed, long and dramatically. "Whatever do you mean." She stalled miserably, knowing the moment of truth was impending.

She wondered how Sora would react…

"Seriously, M? What is the _deal_?"

"Ugh fine but there's an unspoken 'no judgement' clause in our friendship, you are aware of that right?"

Sora shook her head, "Yes, Mimi. I didn't need clarification." She said flatly. "Can you just spit it out already, you're giving me anxiety!"

"I know, but I needed reassurance." The brunette said. "Besides, I feel like you're gonna think way too much into it and I don't want to be confused because seriously I'm already confused and—

"Mimi, I love you but if you waste any more time rambling I might have to hit you." Sora warned.

"Alright, alright." Mimi held her hands up at either side. "But keep in mind that I was _veeeery_ intoxicated." She stipulated.

Sora nodded.

"And I was not in sound mind or body."

"Got it, Mimi. I understand the effects of intoxication just fine, thank you."

Another sigh, "So like I think I know why Matt was so awkward today and it has to do with the other night." She began.

Sora looked at her, "When? Aurelia's?"

Mimi nodded in affirmation, "Yes, something kind of happened… and I think he just feels weird around me now." She said despondently.

Sora's eyes widened. "Wait, _what_?" She practically demanded. "And I'm just hearing about this _now_?" She asked incredulously.

"Now, now, S. You were _quite_ busy Saturday night." She reminded the redhead in a chaste manner. "And I was _quite_ hungover Sunday."

Still relatively unconvinced, Sora just remained silent, waiting for Mimi to continue.

"And I mean I thought it was brushed under the rug." She added for good measure.

"Whatever, what actually _happened_?"

"Me and Matt danced." Mimi confessed.

" _Okay and_?" Sora wouldn't believe that's all there was to it, a dance wouldn't have Matt out of sorts.

That was for damn sure.

"Okay, it wasn't like a friendly dance either." She said, averting her gaze. "I was kind of aggressive." She was mortified when she thought back to how she practically dragged the blonde into a corner.

Mortified, but strangely curious.

She shook her head vigorously. "So maybe _really_ aggressive." She groaned. "Not that he wasn't into it, because he _so was_." Mimi added hastily, almost in defense of herself.

So far, Sora didn't really see the big deal.

And she was beginning to think maybe Mimi had the wrong idea.

Seeing the look of apathy, the brunette then admitted. "And I think he was or we were…if you hadn't come." She was flustered again, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks as she willed herself to say it out loud.

Sora made a forward motion with her hands in anticipation, trying desperately to get Mimi to finish the statement already so she could finally understand what was going on.

"I think if you wouldn't have came to get me, I…" Mimi swallowed dryly. "Matt and I… we would have _kissed_." She barely whispered.

But Sora heard it.

And soon after a guffaw of amusement could be heard from her side of the room. "Is that _it_?" She laughed uncontrollably.

As the red embarrassment swiftly turned to anger across Mimi's delicate features. "I knew I shouldn't have told you!" She turned her face crossly.

Sora wiped at the corners of eyes, trying desperately to abate her laughter. "Mimi." She said as gently as possible. "I get why you might think it, but I really don't think it's the reason Matt was being so bizarre today." Truthfully, the redhead was almost all the way convinced it had indeed, just been one of his moods.

As Taichi had professed.

Mimi looked at her through offended hazel eyes, "Well if you almost kissed Tai don't you think it would be freakin' awkward?" She asked with a glare.

But she knew the question was impertinent as soon as she asked it because Tai was the master of uncomfortable situations, he wouldn't have batted an eyelash. And Sora was empathetic enough to be able to pick up on his indifference and put it all behind her as well.

Sora waited for Mimi to answer her own question.

"Okay, fine. You and Matt then."

Sora tapped her chin thoughtfully to humor the brunette. "Honestly, Meems. I think the _almost_ part is what's maybe more awkward." She said honestly. "So while I don't think Matt was being unusual because of that, if you think so, I say the answer is simple."

Mimi perked up at the mention of a quick fix.

"Just kiss him." She shrugged.

Mimi's jaw dropped, eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. "You've lost it." She sputtered in disbelief. "You're absolutely _insane_."

Sora, unfazed by the insults, just went on. "Well, think about it. You guys came really close to almost doing something and now it's causing a rift, according to you." She unfailingly made sure to add the last part in.

Mimi scowled.

"And now you guys are in this space of limbo where you can't stop thinking about the thing that could have happened but didn't."

She hated where this line of logic was going.

Sora was out of her mind.

"And that's the thing that's actually bothering you. What might've happened if it happened. You've probably got all these question like 'what would it have been like kiss him' 'would it have led to something more' etc." She continued as if she were talking about weather patterns or the leaves changing color. "And I mean, it's not like you can go back in time erase this from happening so you guys can go back to normal, so now all you can do is try to rectify the current situation. Which brings me back to the original point."

"You've gone completely mental, Takenouchi."

"Just kiss him, get it over with. All the awkward tension will be out one way or the other." Sora grinned happily. "And then you can resume being friends or…"

"Enough!" Mimi interrupted her with hands over her ears. "Seriously, you're crazy and I can't hear any more of this nonsense or you'll make me join you in your insanity and then we'll _both_ have to be committed." She couldn't let Sora go on anymore, the redhead was almost starting to make sense.

Sora just chuckled to herself, as Mimi reached over to turn off the lamp in a huff.

"Oh and Mimi?" Sora called out softly in the dark.

" _What_?" Mimi deadpanned.

"I actually don't think that's why Matt was off today, so I wouldn't worry about it much if I were you." And with a small little laugh, Sora turned on her side to go to sleep.

Leaving Mimi with a thousand ridiculous scenarios, hundreds of made up conversations and way too many thoughts fighting for dominance in her brain.

She wouldn't be getting _any_ sleep tonight at this rate.

-x-

One P.M on a Saturday and the last thing Mimi was expecting was to see Taichi Kamiya on the other side of her dorm door, his muscular build hanging against the door frame with an ease that made it seem as if all the world belonged to him.

"What do you want?" She kinked an eyebrow, still clad in her pajama bottoms and a tank top.

"Nothing from you." Tai he took his index finger and pushed back the petite brunette's forehead, earning him a threatening glare. "I'm here for the redhead."

"Ah, so that's what she's been bouncing around the room for." She said knowingly. "Well, come in, then. She'll be right out." Mimi moved out of the door way, ushering the wild haired brunette inside.

Tai stepped in, "For an early riser you sure don't look it." He gave her appearance a one over, before settling himself into Sora's bed.

"I wonder what it is about you girls find attractive." Mimi rolled her eyes, getting back onto her own bed.

Tai laid back onto Sora's pillow, arms tucked behind his head. "Easy. The charm, rogueish good looks, talent." He listed off aimlessly. "Let's not forget the bod." And just for show, he lifted up the black Henley he was wearing to give Mimi a peak of his chiseled abdomen.

Mimi let out an unimpressed snort, "Oh you've left me wildly seduced." She said flatly.

"Well, don't go soaking your pan—

"Ready!" Sora announced, coming out of the bathroom. "Well, don't you look comfortable." She noted, slipping her feet into a pair of sandals.

"You know for a date, neither of you look very… dressed." Mimi griped.

"Only in an alternate universe where Tai was the total opposite of who he is, could this be considered a date." Sora shrugged into a pull over sweatshirt.

"I feel like you're being _sliiiightly_ offensive, Sora." Tai said in a faux melancholy fashion.

"I am, please respond appropriately."

Tai heaved a sigh before hauling himself off the bed, "Try to be the nice guy and this is what you get in return." He grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go, nice guy."

"So, where are you two going on this, ' _not_ _date'_ " Mimi asked with air quotes.

"I was thinking the sushi place we usually go to?" Sora both answered Mimi and suggested to Tai.

"Done and done. I never argue with lunch time sushi."

"And you know I think they've started an all you can eat deal for the weekends."

Tai brightened up considerably at the mention of that, "Well, what the hell are we waiting for. Let's get out of here!" He said, grabbing her hand.

Mimi laughed as Sora struggled to keep up with Tai's frenzied pace out the door.

-x-

It had been a week, a week of meaningless, quick, absent interactions between herself and the blonde and Mimi had had enough.

She was going to squash this business with Matt once and for all, and what better time than now, when Sora and Tai were away.

No one to ask unnecessary questions.

And no one for Matt to deflect on to.

She knew it was bound to be a little tough, given the fact that Matt was hardly vocal about his feelings as it was, but this was something she needed to breach if they were ever going to move on.

Lord knows, he wouldn't be the one to do it, that was for damn sure.

She had waited long enough for him to come to her, it was evident that wasn't going to happen.

But when she rapped at the loft door, she had to swallow down the anxiety bubbling up from the pit of her stomach.

 _It's just Matt!_

She silently chastised herself, as she waited for someone to answer the door.

A few minutes passed, maybe more, maybe less, but she was about to turn around none the less, when she heard shuffling on the other side.

All of a sudden a million thoughts came flying at her at once.

What if he was with a girl?

What if said girl answered the door?

What if the reason he had taken so long to answer was because him and said girl were hooking up?

What if she had just interrupted it and now one or both of them were coming to answer the door in their half-naked, frustrated state?

She had a few seconds, if she broke out into a sprint she'd be able to make the elevator.

 _Oh, who am I kidding, as if I'd be able to sprint anything on a good day, even._ She internally rolled her eyes at herself.

It wasn't even a moment later that the door creaked open, and she was met with a pair of wide blue eyes.

He stood there, half asleep, in just a pair of boxers and nothing else and she felt like she was going to faint.

His eyes focused on her as she shifted from foot to foot.

"Surprised to see me?"

-x-

 **A/N** : Well… this is awkward ;)

I know I promised a shorter wait time and basically I did the opposite and then I decide to leave off on a cliffhanger. I'M THE WORST.

But I'll let you guys in on a secret **. I actually have the interaction between Matt and Mimi written** (it was included in the chapter but I deleted it) so I'll make you a deal: If I end up taking longer than say about **TWO WEEKS** to update, I will edit this chapter and add the scene in so you guys aren't waiting months. Sound fair? And that way if you guys forget, I'll just PM everyone who reviewed so they know to check the story because I don't think FF notifies you if a chapter has been edited. **Do we have a deal?**

 **A million apologies to my beautiful, wonderful, perfect readers** who bless me with such amazing reviews. YOU'RE ALL THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE.

 **Fact: I was** **originally** going to title this chapter "I Dream of Mimi" but I figured it would be so lame if you guys had never heard of the old American sitcom "I Dream of Jeanie" which it was meant to be a play on words on. But if you guys would have gotten the reference let me know so I can lament not taking a creative risk (insert stream of tears emoji)

Please review, I know I don't deserve them but I love them (begs)

Now on to my favorite part, interacting with you lovely people:

 **Isabel Black** : Miss no longer, my dear reader. The wait was over tell me how you liked it! The reference was actually from Harry Potter, when Ron says: Hey Hermione, you're a girl. And Hermione says: Oh, well spotted! And gets mad and walks away, lol, one of my favorite parts of GoF.

 **Guest:** I now command the wait to cease its murdering of you my lovely guest reviewer. Please let me know what you thought!

 **Midori Aoi:** Thank you so much! It means a lot that you love the story so much, I really do pour my heart and soul into every chapter so it feels really great when its well received. I'm not sure how well I tackled the awkwardness, but I tried my best! Looking forward to hearing what you thought of this installment.

 **Lecka-chan** : LOL, I figured I'd have at least one person ticked off at Sora for having such horrendous timing. Haha, I love Taiora, if you've read any of my other stuff then you know I'm a sucker for a taiora ending, so who knows ;) Don't worry about the English, I wouldn't have even known it was your second language had you not told me, I understood you absolutely perfectly. Thank you so much for the review, I'm so incredibly happy you're enjoying my story so far. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

 **Guest (2):** I love hearing that people can sit through my story without getting bored, I try to keep it as interesting and innovative as I can and I really do spend a lot of time trying to come up with fun original ideas, so thank you so much for saying that! IT MAKES ME SO EMOTIONAL WHEN PEOPLE STILL TALK ABOUT POLAR OPPOSITES (crying face again); when I say it was my baby I mean and the fact that people still read it and remember it and actually think its one of the best in the fandom makes my heart too big for my chest. THANK YOU. Hope to hear from you soon!

 **SingerofYesterday** : LOL, making matt all flustered around mimi was my favorite part of writing that whole chapter. It was so fun to make him something other than cool, aloof and so collected. As for your theory about just a few more little moments like that and it'll release the flood gates—you may be right ;)

 **Silentuser:** Y U SO SWEET!? I could cry, your words were so kind and my heart is full because I have such amazing reviewers and readers. This fandom is small but we all support each other so much and I love that. You know, writing Tai has always been the most fun for me and I always say this but it's because of how flexible his character is. I love writing him as this frat boy athlete playboy with only two things on his mind, it's just hilarious. I hope you liked this chapter as much as the other ones, please let me know how it was.

 **Guest (3** ): Haha, of course the buildup needs to be slow but it'll get there. Of course there will be drama, but I live for the angst and the drama so who could expect anything less ;) thanks so much for the review, please please please drop me your opinion on this chapter as well

 **Supernaturalfan17980** : Concensus seems to be a taiora ending, we'll see what happens ;) thanks so much for taking the time out to review my work, it truly means the world. Looking forward to hearing what you thought of this one!

 **OnceUponAnOriginal** : LOL, I love that your DP is of Rebekah, she was so great on TVD I wish she never left (And Klaus bc ugh my Klaroline heart absolutely broke when he did) I haven't seen TVD7 yet so no spoilers! Haha, don't we all just love us some Yamato. I can't help but swoon all over him whenever I read him in stories. Something about those damn blue eyes and that stupid attitude lol I'm so happy you liked the chapter, it was a tough one to write but so satisfying after it came together because it got such a good response! Hope to hear what you thought of this one!

 **Guest (4):** Taiora does seem to be the fan favorite, but let's be real, Tai's not ready for a relationship LOL Thank you for the compliment, so glad you're enjoying so far. Please let me know what you thought!

 **QuileutepackSeth16** : I'm a big Mimato with a side of Michi fan too, as you can tell if you've ever read P.O lol, Mimi is just so shippable (AMIRIGHT?!) thank you for the review! Let me know how this one was!

 **Digimonpokemonestories:** Thank you! I really love writing stories centered around the core four, but I am trying to expand a little bit and add some side stories here and there to keep up the interest. I really liked the best friends angle too, and I feel like it very well could have gone that way had Mimi and Matt kept in touch (inspo: the two second phone call in the digimon movie that launched a thousand ships) I love writing Tai, I can't stress that enough. I'll keep the takuya thing in mind, I never actually watched Frontier, I just borrow Zoe because I liked her. But I'll do so research and look into it. Thanks for the advice and the review! Hope to hear from you soon!

 **Scripturiens** : I'm so happy to read your review, it was very insightful. LOL I think that's hilarious that I basically unknowingly stole your outfit, thanks for letting me borrow it ;) It's funny you mentioned the dialogue between Tai and Mimi because it was actually set up VERY differently, and when I mentioned in my previous A/N that there was part I just couldn't get all the way right—IT WAS THAT ONE. I had an entirely different scene, but I took it out at the last minute and made some hasty changes. The original dialogue had actually taken a more scandalous turn and I decided to cut a lot of it out because I didn't want to introduce a road I wasn't going to take them down. But I should have been less sloppy about the way I had strung it together and shouldn't have assumed no one would notice. Haha, and awkward it did get. Thank you for the constructive criticism, perhaps I will PM you soon to pick your brain about some ideas I have swimming around in this disorganized head of mine, if you don't mind, that is. And of course, I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter!

 **Angelic Moonlight** : Haha, I had to put something in there somewhere or else the two of them would've been skirting around the subject forever. It was actually a hard scene for me to write, but I was happy with it at the end and I'm really glad you all loved it. It makes me SO HAPPY. I am so sorry the wait was so long, I honestly feel so bad about it. But I can't bring myself to post a half ass chapter, you guys deserve the best I can do. Thank you for sticking with me and for giving me so much support, it means everything. Hope to hear from you soon.

 **Angelxchild** : LOL, Mimi is so damn shippable, damn her cuteness. I felt like I needed to do something to introduce more sexual attraction between the two of them, so dancing drunk in a nightclub was the best thing haha. Glad you liked it. I honestly love writing Sam and Sora just because its different and because we don't have much info on the older ichijoji I can kind of just mold him to my liking. Taiora is hard to resist, so who knows what happens with our favorite redhead ;) thanks for the review and I really hope to hear from you soon!

In general, you're all amazing. Thank you for all the love, support and kindness you all always show me. I love feeling like a part of something, this fandom is truly something special (okay I'm done being sappy)

Until next time!


	9. My Depth Perception Must Be Off Again

" _ **Slow Burn"**_ _(def.): an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time._

-x-

 **Chapter Nine:** _My Depth Perception Must Be Off Again_

-x-

" _Surprised to see me?"_

Matt moved out of the doorway, "More surprised you bothered to knock, really." He said in an entirely too nonchalant manner.

As if he hadn't just spent the last week avoiding her.

 _Had it all been in my head?_

Was Sora right? Had she just been imagining the tension and awkwardness this whole time? Had Matt really not even batted an eyelash at the 'kiss that almost was'?

She wasn't sure whether she should feel at ease or be completely mortified, either way she followed him into the loft she had considered to be her second home even if she hadn't seen much of it as of late.

"Sora and Tai are on their usual monthly lunch." He said offhandedly and it was annoying because why was he playing so cool?

 _It's Matt, you idiot. He IS cool, he doesn't have to play anything…_

"Yeah, I was there." Her answer was tightlipped.

He noticed the sudden change in tone, but he didn't comment on it, "I'm just gonna throw a shirt on." He told her as they crossed over into his bedroom.

"Maybe some pants while you're at it."

He felt his mouth twitch upwards at the sudden burst of sarcasm.

He rummaged around for a clean shirt to throw on, fully expecting her to settle onto his bed as she usually did.

But she didn't, opting to linger around the entrance of his bedroom instead.

He pulled on a faded grey band tee, it had a big clawed dog print ripping through front with the words Teenage Wolves over it. "How's practice been, Tai mentioned something about an away game tomorrow? Are you going with them?" He asked conversationally.

She felt the annoyance bubbling up again, he was being evasive and it was downright irritating. "Some of the older girls are, they don't need a full roster for away games." She was actually grateful she didn't have to spend her day on a bus going to Shibuya, she would happily miss away games especially if they were on Sunday's.

"Well that's good, at least you don't have to do all that…" By the time he pulled on a pair of black sweatpants, she was barely in his room at all.

"I assumed you came over to hang out?" He raised his brows in obvious confusion. "Do you wanna go out there? I just thought I could play you a record I was working on and—

"Stop!" As soon as the word left her mouth her hand flew over her lips to cover them, as if it could somehow undo the sudden emission.

"Is everything okay?" He knew it wasn't, she looked flustered from the second he'd let her in.

It was obvious she had something on her mind.

Mimi wasn't hard to read, she was an open book of emotions most of the time, and he knew that was by design. She had never been too proud to vocalize exactly what she was feeling. And while that had been something that had annoyed him about her in past, considering it to be complaining rather than anything worth listening to. He had grown to appreciate it.

She wasn't a guessing game, like most girls. If she felt something, she said it and most days her sincerity was refreshing.

"Everything is _not_ okay, Yamato." He could see the frustration practically pouring out her as she looked at him though burning hazel eyes.

"I'm lost."

She rolled her eyes, "Seriously, you're going to make me spell it out, aren't you?" She let out a mirthless laugh. "As if you haven't been totally avoiding me and being super weird."

 _Shit. She noticed._

Matt swallowed thickly, "I'm not sure what you mean." He tried to sound sure about it.

But he knew it was probably the opposite.

"We almost…" She breath hitched in her throat, right now, looking at him as he stared back her convincingly confused by her sudden outburst, she felt really lame.

It hit her then that Sora _was_ right, he was just being moody and she thought way too much into all of it.

He didn't even remember, that's how insignificant of a thing it was to him.

And she was the idiot plaguing herself with notions of sexual tension and the beginning of the end of their platonic relationship.

With a steadying breath in, she shook her head, trying to find the right words at the right time. She usually wasn't bad at that sort of thing, talking was sort of her strong suit. But this was, this was uncharted territory.

Finally, she said. "I just… I felt like you were being kinda distant all week. Avoidant and..." A meek, sheepish smile on her face. "I don't know, I guess I thought maybe something was wrong or something was bothering you." She tucked her hair behind her ear, eyes on the floor.

She looked so damn cute and vulnerable and his heart nearly grew three sizes in his chest just staring at her right now.

He took her by the shoulders, giving her a rare smile as her eyes snapped up to his face. "I've been distant." He acknowledged. "But it's got nothing to do with you." He said, rubbing her shoulders affectionately.

"Are you sure?" She chewed her lip.

And he really hated that she did that because all of a sudden he was thrown back to stolen moments under pulsating lights with her body pressed flush up against his own.

Thoughts of sweat slicked skin and ruby red lips invaded his mind as he tried to push them away. Ignoring the primal need growling inside him to have her in that position again.

He pulled his hands off her almost immediately, as if her skin had scorched his fingertips through her clothes.

And she looked a little surprised by the suddenness of his motion, but averted her eyes instantly.

He cleared his throat. "It's just that…" He stared into her expectant eyes, bracing himself for the white lie he was about to tell her.

Because he sure as hell wasn't going to get into everything that was actually bothering him, how he couldn't imagine her in anything other than that wretched red dress, or how he would randomly remember the scent of her when he was alone, and least of all that horribly embarrassing dream.

"School's been a bit of an adjustment, classes are much harder…" It was so feeble, he hated himself for not sounding more confident. "And I um, I have this job lined up, so it's going to get much harder and um, you know, I don't have time to invest in my band so it seems like the hiatus might be forever which kinda sucks but..." He felt so low, as he saw the tension leave her shoulders.

Mimi, who looked for all the world relieved and also convinced, gave him a reassuring smile that only made him feel worse about the lie. "Oh, Matt. I'm _soo sorry_ for being so insensitive and making a big deal out of nothing. I feel so terrible that I made this about me when it wasn't at all but you know me, I think everything is about me and I'm so vapid for that." The more she rambled the harder he found it to keep the truth from ripping out from his throat. "…And you know I'll help you any way I can. Don't avoid me, Ishida." She stuck him with a stern look and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Thanks Mimi, that means a lot. I'll keep it in mind."

He was shit, a lying sack of shit.

"I'm serious, you don't have to be all stressed out and in your head. You have me, idiot." She bumped his shoulder with her own. "I'll help you wherever I can, honest. You can trust me and…"

She was art, in all she was, her graceful charm and delicate mannerisms. In her porcelain skin and bow shaped lips. In her tiny hands and shining eyes. Her waves of soft caramel and her scent like lilacs and lilies and everything that was pure and untouched.

And he was standing there, just hearing the tone of her voice but without understanding any of her words, just standing.

Marveling, really.

At how easily one person could be defined, yet so undefined at the same time. And for all the times he thought he knew everything there was to know about her, there was a facet to her personality that was revealed to him in the most unconventional way.

Because even now, he could feel the concern for him ebbing out of her in waves and it led him to question how much compassion one person could have.

There was something inherently undeniable about what she had said, that led him to think all these things. For the first time in a very long time, when someone said he could trust them, he actually believed it.

He _trusted_ Mimi.

Matt shook his head, blinking his eyes rapidly to focus them. Mimi was peering over side table, looking for somewhere to charge her phone. "Besides, you're really great at time management. So much better than me." She said, a little pouty. "We can keep each other on schedule." She suggested brightly.

He didn't want to continue thinking about all the wonderful things that made Mimi so special, it was getting too confusing when added to all these _other_ feelings he'd been having recently. Instead, he took a moment to swiftly change the subject.

"Sure, Mimi, that sounds great. Anyway, like I was saying before you freaked out on me. Wanna hear a record I've been working on?" He slipped back into his easy tone effortlessly and for once she was grateful for that.

She couldn't help but smile.

"It's been ages since you've said that."

-x-

"You think they'll ever get it together?" Sora asked as Tai got back from a third trip to the sushi bar.

Tai barely waited to sit down before shoving an eel avocado roll in his mouth, "Who?" He asked.

Sora rolled her eyes, wondering for what felt like the millionth time what it is about Tai that women found so damn irresistible. If only they knew this side of him, the disgusting, borderline unhygienic, belching the alphabet, side.

"Matt and Mimi." Thinking back the conversation she had with the brunette a few nights ago. She had played it coy, keeping her cards close to her chest, because if this whole thing was going to happen then it needed to be organic, and she couldn't help or push in the right direction, not even nudge.

The mother hen in her wanted to nurture them and coax them separately into realization, but she knew this wasn't how it would work.

It just couldn't.

If there was ever to be any great proclamations of love or eternity of even just exclusive dating, it had to come from the both of them, when the time was absolutely right.

Tai looked up from his food to meet Sora's amber eyes, "Who knows, really." He answered a moment later. "The way they carry on you'd think it was a crime to be mutually attracted to another reasonably attractive person." He didn't understand it, the whole ' _hard to get_ ' concept, it was obvious to anyone in a fifteen meter radius that the two of them wanted nothing more than to rip each other's clothes off.

Why make it so complicated by denying it?

"It's clear as day, really."

"I agree with you there. You know, I think they should just spend a weekend locked in Matt's room, get all of it out on a binge and—

"Oh my God, Taichi! Not everything is _always_ about sex!"

She realized she had said the words a bit too loud when half the restaurant looked back at her.

Sheepishly, she waved an apology.

"You don't have to get so bent out of shape about it, Red. It's only sex." He had a stupid shit eating grin on his face and all she wanted to do was smack it off.

"It wasn't what I was talking about." She said pointedly, "I meant the whole thing, you know like love…" She squirmed in her seat, eyes trained on the floor.

His first response was to laugh, because he was truly the last person to be talking to about that sort of thing. He wouldn't know the first thing about love if it smacked him in the face with a soccer ball. But he could tell that Sora was going out on a limb, "Love's tricky." He opted for instead. "It's too early to tell, but maybe in a few years…"

Sora just nodded, "What would you know about it anyway." She said with a quiet dismissive laugh.

And he gave her a smile, reaching across the table to cover her hand with his own. "Give me a few years too, I'm sure I'll get there." He said warmly.

-x-

Sometimes, back in his band days, when he was being particularly indecisive, he would come to her and usually she had a good ear to point out what was missing.

He appreciated that simplistic aspect of their relationship, it was all that he longed for right now, as the whirlwind in his mind was quickly becoming a tornado.

Maybe if they got back to the basics, became that boy with the guitar and that girl who listened, things would sort themselves out again.

They'd find what was lost.

He grabbed his guitar from the closet while Mimi lifted a sheet and a few pillows to put on the floor. She sat, with her back against the bed and waited as he tuned his instrument.

"It's not done, just some chords and a few words so—

"Matt, disclaimers are a little unnecessary at this point." She said, as he sat beside her.

"Fine, but I want you to sing with me. Because it always helps when I hear it in your voice too."

Mimi moved her hair into her face so he wouldn't see the light blush raising in her cheeks, truly, the fact that Matt held her music capabilities in such high regard was the most flattering compliment she could ever receive.

"Go on then." She prompted, fighting the grin that was currently splitting her face.

Matt strummed a few test chords before clearing his throat.

He'd performed in front of crowds before, especially in high school when his band was pretty popular in the area and his friends and fans alike would come watch him play.

But for some damn reason, playing for Mimi always made him nervous.

His shook out his hoarse voice with a few notes, and she waited patiently.

 _A twist, a tale—a rip through my sails  
And we're made to watch the walls come down  
Coz goodbye's too strong, too strong a word. _

And as the words tumbled out of his mouth, the sound of his voice enveloping her in the familiar warmth she had become accustomed to, how it reminded her of all the good things in her life. Of her friends and family and home.

 _And I'm weak from everything that I'm told...  
Yes I'm weak, from all the things that I know. _

She didn't refuse the smile that was beaming at him, or the look of pure pride that was probably shining through her eyes.

She wished she could take all the faith she had in him and turn into to something tangible, something with weight and value so he knew how much she believed in him. How much she knew he was meant for this.

How _special_ he was…

 _Do you think of me?  
When you look to the sea?_

 _I know it's hard to grow when you're pushed to your knees  
And I know our time will pass, our love it will last_

Maybe it was all at once, maybe it had always been there. But it felt like he was singing to her, he was talking about them and it might have been farfetched, but she truly felt as though he was inspired by her somehow.

 _Darling, we will ever break…_

When his voice died out, he looked at her guiltily and she knew it was all he had.

"Keep playing." She would praise him later, right now she was on to something.

She cleared her throat, as the notes and the words came together in the forefront of her mind swirling together.

It was as if she had known the melody her entire life, as if she had already written the song. And as the words left her lips, nothing had ever felt more natural to her.

 _The sound, the tide, it rips through the night_  
 _Now it seems too far away_

 _When I follow my heart it leads me to you  
And I'm weak from everything that I'm told  
Yes I'm weak for all the things that I'm told… _

_And I'm weak from all the things that I know._

She ignored the stupid look of amazement he had on his face, never missing a chord or a down beat all the while. She prompted him to sing the chorus and she hummed along, not quite learning the words yet.

She knew he was going to say something that would inevitably make her blush a red moon so she wanted to prolong it as much as she could. There was nothing he could say, guitar in hand; that wouldn't have her inwardly swooning over him.

 _Just admit it, Mimi-girl, you're a sucker for musicians._

The brunette wanted to scoff at her inner self, but there was no use in denying it.

She really was a sucker for musicians.

 _But maybe not all, maybe just this one._

She hated her inner self.

"You were perfect, you know that don't you?" She sounded absolutely amazing and if there was any doubt in his mind about her not being the one to inspire his music, it was all gone now.

Mimi was the closest thing to a muse he had.

 _Oh great, now I'm waxing poetic._

He could have groaned out loud, for all his comparisons to muses and artwork.

"I didn't do anything, it was all you." She tucked her knees under her, shifting positions so she could face him. "I loved how simple the melody was, and the lyrics…" She was fangirling, internally, she was totally fangirling.

He shook his head, "I had a chorus, you helped it come together. I need you on this song, Mimi." He wouldn't be above begging if she declined.

Tucking a stray hair behind her ear, she tried not to show him how ecstatic she was that he even asked. "Why, are you thinking of getting the band back together?" She winked playfully.

He chuckled, "Not quite, but they have a recording studio on campus—in the Arts and Theatre building, and I think it could be fun just to try out what it would sound like with the mixers on and stuff."

Hazel eyes lit up at the suggestion, "Are you serious?" She could hardly hide her enthusiasm and she didn't want to either.

Matt nodded, "What do you say, Tachikawa? Do we have a deal?" He extended a hand out to her.

She took it without a moment's thought, "Just name the place and time, Ishida."

Instead of a traditional handshake, he boldly tugged her small frame forward, and with a slight noise of surprise she landed softly against his chest. He held her to him until she relaxed into his embrace. "Do me a favor, Meems?"

"Hm?" Her soft soprano resonated against his chest.

"Don't ever leave again."

And if her heart hadn't melted before, it was surely just a mushy pile of goop now. "I don't plan on it."

-x-

As September came to a close and the October chill rolled around, there was only one thing Tokyo University was buzzing about.

 _Homecoming._

And of course, the soccer game that would define it.

TU had a history of seldom losing at home, but definitely not at homecoming. The entire thing was a spectacle week to behold, really. As if the entire world was gathered at their campus, sporting shades of red and white and the occasional grey, just for the sake of unity and solidarity.

But for Mimi Tachikawa, homecoming week was hell.

Taylor and Sophia were total cheer-nazis.

Even more so than usual, barking orders, extending practices, picking every little thing apart until it was perfect, reworking entire routines just to fix one small indiscernible mistake, it was absolute _hell_.

The boys were forever worse for the wear though, with their coaches implementing two a day practices and horrendous work out routines that left some of the less iron willed freshmen losing their breakfast on the field.

By the time Thursday evening rolled around, Mimi thought she was going to collapse of exhaustion. She had a chemistry exam in the morning that she hadn't even cracked her notes open for. On top of that, the play was due in one week's time and Tai never had any time to practice.

 _What do I really need chemistry for anyway…_

With heavy limbs, she dragged herself out of the girls locker room. Dreading the night before her that would consist of nothing but equations and formulas and enthalpy and why every element wanted to be a noble gas.

"I'm going to die here." She said miserably to the ceiling, as she walked out of the Athletic Center.

It was only then that she heard a familiar voice calling out her name.

She turned around to find a pair of deep green eyes, "Long time, Tachikawa." And indeed it had been.

She couldn't really remember the last time she'd had a real conversation with Ryo Akiyama. They talked here and there during practice, but it wasn't anything substantial or noteworthy.

Just regular stuff that bored her to tears.

"You've been busy, Akiyama."

He scratched the back of his neck, "Ah, yeah. It gets a bit…" He didn't finish though. "Soccer and all, and you would think being a star player and breaking all kinds of scoring records would get me out of actually working for my grades but apparently they're incredibly _moral_ here." He rolled his eyes playfully to show her he wasn't being serious.

Not completely, anyway.

"It's good to know your sense of entitlement is intact."

"Careful, we're dangerously close to a pot and kettle scenario."

Mimi shook her head, "Me? Entitled? As if." She scoffed. "I work hard for—

"Dad's money?"

She shoved his shoulder with a small scowl. "I wouldn't be talking if I were you." Zoe and Ryo were easily one of the richest kids at this school.

His dad donated by the boatloads.

She was surprised they didn't have a damn building dedicated to the guy.

He just chuckled, "I'm only kidding." He gave her a charming grin and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him.

"Are you guys ready for Saturday?" She asked, shifting her duffle bag to her less sore shoulder.

Ryo shrugged, "I think so. Coach doesn't seem to be too confident, but we got a tough seed this year." He answered truthfully.

"Karakura, right?"

He nodded, "They've had this monster scorer, Kurosaki, and that psycho Madarame. But it's the addition of their freshmen goalie Hitsugaya, that's been causing most of the commotion—this kid's only let in _one_ _goal_ all season. They've been steamrolling through the competition." And he looked genuinely worried.

Her face softened, "It'll be alright." She said reassuringly. "Sam was off to a bad start at the beginning, but he's really gotten back to form now." She wouldn't know though, it's just what she had heard the other girls saying.

Ryo sighed, "We'll see, I know Kamiya has been boasting his over confidence all over campus and it just kind of makes things a little worse…you know?" She was almost disbelieving of his honesty. "There's just so much pressure, and I feel like no one will understand if we end up losing this game. Not when its _homecoming_."

She was irritated at the fluttering in her heart as she took in his vulnerability.

Ryo wasn't at all being who he _actually_ was.

Or maybe this was who he actually was and that other side of him was a façade.

She tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, if that's the case then take losing out of your vocabulary." She said with determination. "Don't make it an option. Karakura Town University may be on top of their game right now but it doesn't mean you guys aren't undefeated either." It would be a collegiate sports event for the books.

Whispers around campus had always been that this year's team was one of the best in Tokyo University history. It would be a game to remember nonetheless.

He looked at her curiously, she really was something… wasn't she?

"There's just so much riding on this _one game_." The frustration was evident.

She reached her hand out to touch his shoulder, the strap on her duffle bag slackened, but before it could fall onto her forearm, he had caught it with an open palm. In one swift motion it was over his free shoulder.

"Thanks, but I can—

He cut her off with a shake of his head, "Don't worry about it." He lifted more than this on a bad day.

She nodded, "Don't be too hard on yourself, Ryo. For what it's worth, I don't think you have anything to worry about." She smiled brightly.

For some reason, it made him feel all warm inside. Like she had taken a heat lantern and lit it up inside his stomach.

It was resonating through his very soul.

Briefly, he wondered if she had this kind of effect on everyone.

"Well, it's worth a lot." He winked. "So now the pressure is doubled, because if _you're_ putting your faith in me, I can't lose…can I?"

She felt herself blush, "I'm putting my faith in the _team_." She mumbled.

Ryo just grinned, "Me still, even if only by extension." He persisted.

"Don't worry about Kurosaki, I have a feeling you'll wipe the field with him."

"I hope you're right."

She nodded, "Well, I think I should get back. I have this stupid chemistry test in the morning and I don't think I'm going to get much sleep tonight." She told him, making a motion to take her bag from him.

He didn't give it back to her though, "Let me drop you off." He offered politely. "It's late and you're alone."

He was right, the sun had already set in the time they had spent talking.

And even though her dorm was a short ten minute walk, her muscles ached from fatigue.

"Alright." She agreed.

-x-

Mimi was unsure of what to think when she got back to her room that night, Ryo had made her a slight wager.

Maybe it couldn't even be considered that.

It was more like a friendly deal.

He had asked her if she would go on a date with him if they won the game against Karakura Town.

And when she didn't answer right away, he told her to sleep on it.

That he wouldn't hold it against her if she said no.

But she didn't want to say no, did she?

Images of Matt and the club and his bedroom and his guitar swam in succession with her thoughts of Ryo and his charming grin and wonderfully green eyes.

It wasn't as if she and Matt had anything going on, they were only friends after all. And anything to the contrary was silly, because really if he had felt anything for her at all, attraction or otherwise, wouldn't she have known it by now?

He had ample opportunity, she even took the liberty of ambushing him at his apartment, surely there wasn't much else she could have done.

And he hadn't even said a word about it, so really it had all been in her mind anyway.

She had just thought about it for much too long.

"Hey space case, where's your head at?" Sora asked her from the closet.

Mimi collapsed on her bed in a heap of skin and bones, not even bothering to kick off her cheer sneakers. "Ryo asked me out." She said in a flat, toneless voice, eyes on the ceiling.

Sora's surprised face came into view, "And this makes you melancholy because…" She put a hand on her hip.

Mimi sighed, "Not melancholy, per say. Confused, really." She admitted honestly. "My brain is too tired to deal with confused, Sora." She whined three minutes later.

Sora laughed, "Leave it til tomorrow, I'm sure Ryo knows by now that you play hard to get." She said teasingly.

Mimi closed her eyes, "You know, it's really not an act." She massaged her temples gingerly. "I genuinely don't trust guys like him."

"Sometimes guys like him surprise you." She shrugged.

"Maybe." She yawned. "But what about all the times they don't." She wasn't attached to Ryo, not even slightly.

She didn't really have feelings for him, other than mild curiosity. But she would hate to start getting close to him, start _liking_ him and then for him to turn out to be exactly what she had thought this entire time.

Then there was a certain blonde by the name of Yamato Ishida, who even with all his cool indifference and stand offish behavior, made it very clear he was not a fan of the brown haired defenseman.

"Ryo Akiyama is a wild card." Sora nodded. "It really could go either way with him, but you know I'm sure he doesn't go around offering dates to all the girls."

"Yes, most of them just fall to his feet, don't they?" She said thoughtfully. "I don't know, he told me I didn't have to answer right away. Maybe I should just see what mood I'm in after the game."

"Why the game?"

"Well, the date was contingent upon TU beating Karakura on Saturday."

And if they lost, then there wouldn't be a date at all, really.

Sora smirked at the brunette.

"Well, I suppose all's fair in love and soccer."

-x-

A/N: So, Okay, I know I said two weeks and I would put the scene up. But to be honest, I was pretty close to finishing the chapter and the scene would have gotten a bit long to just tack onto the end of the last chapter.

 **Also, I got engaged that weekend!** (needless to say I've been a little busy :P)

I know this chapter is a little bit shorter than what you guys are used to, I really just wanted to post it though because like I said it was just too much to tack on to the end, you know? I feel like it would have ruined the scene a little bit.

Anyway, I don't think this was too horrible of a wait and I promise the next chapter will be longer.

If you recognize some familiar names then you'll be pleased to see a few of them in the next chapter when our favorite Digi pals host our favorite Shinigami at Tokyo University.

-For all those confused, the players mentioned by Ryo are Ichigo Kurosaki, Ikkaku Madarme and Toushiro Hitsugaya; They are characters from the manga Bleach. You don't have to know anything about them or Bleach for the sake of this story though, I'm just borrowing them from Tite Kubo. I will explain appearance and anything relevant in the story.

 **Also, if any of you are Bleach fans, tell me who you want to see in the upcoming chapter(s)!**

As always, thank you to everyone who reviewed:

 **Raycel03** : I'm glad you thought the chapter was funny, I was honestly going for a more comedic relief angle for this one and the part at the beginning was really just meant to give everyone a good laugh. Thanks for the review, hope to hear from you soon!

 **QuinnM** : Hi! First off thank you so much for the review, I really appreciate it! I'm so glad you like my story, it means the world to me! I hope this wasn't too long of a wait and the chapter doesn't disappoint. Please let me know what you thought of it!

 **Angelic Moonlight** : Your reviews are always such a treat! I love hearing your thoughts and feedback, it's always really insightful and entertaining. I think we're all with Sora when it comes to these two, just get it together already! I'm honestly really bad at the build up and there are so many times where I write out entire scenes and I'm like okay, this needs to be redone because I'm rushing. I'm sorry I didn't update after two weeks, I hope you don't hold it against me! I just had a bulk of this chapter written so I wanted to finish and update with a proper chapter! Hope you liked this installment and I would love to hear what you thought!

 **Midori Aoi** : LOL, I was hoping for that kind of reaction for the beginning! It was just supposed to be funny and light hearted cheeky humor. Tai is always my favorite part, to read and to write. He's just so fun. I'm sorry about not updating after two weeks but I hope this makes up for it! I would really love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, hope to hear from you soon!

 **Guest (1):** Thank you! I imagine Matt to be just confused and annoyed by all these new emotions he isn't used to, hence the avoidant behavior. Admittedly though, it was fun writing him so awkward and Mimi so frustrated by it. I hope you liked this chapter, let me know what you thought of it!

 **Supernaturalfan17980** : Thank you for the review, I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter. It was actually really fun for me to write, especially the Matt and Tai bromance scenes. I hope you find this chapter just as pleasing, let me know what you thought of it! Hope to hear from you soon!

 **Isabel Black** : Firstly, thank you for always reviewing my work! It means so much to me that you always take the time out to let me know how you liked it! I was very hesitant on what road to take with the Mimato interaction, but at the end of it I just figured Matt being all weird and avoidant was probably the most realistic reaction, so I'm happy it translated well. Haha, Tai is always my outlet for comedic relief, he makes all the difference. I hope this chapter finds you well and I can't wait to hear what you thought of it! I hope I handled the confrontation scene between the two of them okay.

 **Kiki457875** : Thank you so much for the review! I'm so happy you are enjoying my story and I hope this chapter is up to par with the rest. I would love to know what you thought of it, hope to hear from you soon!

 **Cancercute** : LOL! I Love reading your reviews, they always crack me up. I'm not sure how well I handled the post talk, I actually was very iffy about the whole thing but I hope it came together alright. Trust me, I am itching to write some action but I feel like I have to build it up for it to be satisfying. Too often I feel like a story just kind of …dies, after the two main leads get together. And you know me, I'm very partial to the angst and drama aspect of the romance ;) Thank youuuu soo much for reviewing, I always love hearing from you. Hope you liked this chapter and I would love to know your thoughts on it!

 **For anyone else favoriting, following or simply just reading along, THANK YOU**! The support and just the interest means the world to me, I've said this so many times but this fandom is so special to me! So thank you to everyone who supports it

 **See you guys soon!**

P.S: The song I used for Matt and Mimi's duet is called _To the Sea_ by **Seafret**.  
Title comes from: _Rest in Pieces_ by **Saliva**.


	10. The Games that Play Us

" _ **Slow Burn"**_ _(def.): an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time._

-x-

 **Chapter Ten** : _The Games that Play Us_

-x-

With a mixture of dread, indignation and slight anticipation, Mimi ushered in Friday afternoon.

The chemistry test had gone better than she had expected it to and she was for the lack of a better word, exhausted. Still, the fact that she knew she hadn't failed, put her in a better mood than she would have been.

That plus the fact that she had no choice but to put on a smile because she was expected at practice ten minutes ago.

She knew Sophia and Taylor were going to be on a warpath, since homecoming was _tomorrow_. She had come to believe that Taylor had some lesser grade from of schizophrenia, with the way the girl cycled through routines…and personalities.

Sometimes, she was all Cheshire grins and backhanded compliments. Other times, she was venom and mirth. Then there were the times that were few and far between, when she was bearable—but _just_ _barely_.

Today though, she knew it would be something of medusa-like proportions and she prepared herself accordingly.

But instead she was met with a deafening silence, no barking, no screaming, no music.

In fact, the only sound that echoed around the gym was the door shutting behind her.

 _Strange_.

Mimi looked around the room, seeing that only half of the squad seemed to be present. And most of the girls looked as though they were packing their things.

As if practice was over.

 _That can't be right…_

Mimi walked over to a girl named Keiko, a freshmen like herself, a girl barely skin and bones who looked like she could break with just one wrong touch.

"Where is everyone?" Mimi asked.

Keiko shook her head, dark bangs falling in her eyes. "I um, well didn't you hear?" She asked meekly.

Mimi raised a brow.

"Taylor cut the squad in _half_ for homecoming."

Rage coursed through her like her own blood, her eyes practically enlarging double their size. " _What_ does that mean?"

"They only need thirteen girls for the new routine, apparently we were all only learning it in case any of the older girls got sick or hurt or something."

Mimi only saw red.

She had killed herself the past week, taking direction after direction, running her muscles sore, barely sleeping, hardly eating, seeing nothing but the inside of this stupid gym and the disgusting locker room and the decrepit practice field. She had basically driven herself into madness with how hard she had been pushing her mind and body.

And for Taylor, to have known this, to have _demanded_ this, then to arbitrarily she didn't have any use for her.

It was unacceptable.

"You're easily one of the best on the squad, Mimi. Honest. But Taylor said that she's only going to use the seniors because it's their last homecoming. That the rest of us have so many homecomings to cheer at and they were graduating. I mean, I guess it kind of makes sense, doesn't it?"

Mimi didn't bother answering the girl, instead just stalked past all the other freshmen and out on to the field where the girls were doing a dry run of tomorrow's routine.

From the other side she could hear whistles being blown, she turned her gaze to the opposite end where the boys were barely specks in the vast open greenness. She could only make out the coaches by their burgundy polo shirts.

As she approached the sidelines, she steeled herself. She had never had any reason to go head to head with Taylor Fujiyama, not before this. Sure, the girl had been a huge bitch since the moment they met but she was a bitch to everyone. It was nothing Mimi couldn't take anyway.

She had tried the whole nice girl thing, even stayed away from Ryo Akiyama as best she could out of sheet courtesy.

But enough was enough.

She had busted her ass for this, this _one_ _stupid_ _game_ for that _one_ _stupid_ _night_.

Mimi met Sophia's green eyes and knew the girl could tell she wasn't happy.

Sophia gave Taylor a nod, before jogging over.

"Hey, M." She said nonchalantly. "How's it going?"

"Cut the shit." Mimi said flatly "When were you guys going to tell me I wasn't going to be cheering at homecoming?"

Sophia looked around a little guiltily. "Listen, M. Really, it's nothing personal. You're great, seriously. Best freshmen talent I've seen in a long, _long_ time and you _have to know_ if the other girls weren't graduating you would be right in the showcase with us, it's no secret you're better than a lot of them." She gave her a fake smile and Mimi wanted to smack it off.

Who did they think they were.

But to add insult to injury, there was Zoe freaking Orimoto, smiling her mega watt smile, beaming down at everyone below her at the top of a pyramid.

And Mimi lost it.

"Then what the _hell_ is _she_ doing up there." Her voice was shaking with rage, as she pointed a finger at the blonde in the midst of a basket toss.

"The thing is that Izumi is… well, it's a little bit more complicated with her. We couldn't exclude her, it's _different_."

"Why? Because Taylor is fucking her brother?" To hell with the damn squad, and their horrible captains and everything else too.

Sophia looked scandalized by her language and Mimi wasn't surprised, they pretended to be debutantes with all their fake class and feigned grace. "It doesn't have to, it has nothing to do with—!" She sputtered, searching for the right words.

"And the fact that her step dad funnels money into athletics like it's his job, right?" She spat. "I'm not an idiot, don't try to play me for one." Everything felt hot, her skin was practically smoking.

She hadn't been this angry in a long time.

Sophia who looked like she had just been slapped, looked over helplessly at Taylor.

The raven haired captain set her amethyst eyes on the brunette in question, a murderous scowl enveloping her otherwise beautiful features.

Mimi squared her shoulders, preparing herself for battle.

Taylor gave some instructions to the girls, before walking over to the pair, hips swaying angrily with each step. "The two of you better have a good reason for this, I don't think I have to even bother with reiterating the fact that homecoming is less than twenty four hours away." She gave Mimi a frosty once-over.

Mimi rolled her eyes, _no more Mrs. Nice-Girl_. "Funny how you forgot to mention you'd be selecting a squad for it." She said, trying to keep her voice levelled.

"Funny how you thought I'd _ever_ owe you any explanations."

It hurt, to be talked down to with such marked condescension.

But she didn't allow herself to show it. "I wouldn't have killed myself at practice all week if I'd known that I wasn't needed." She said curtly. "Did you ever think that maybe you aren't the only person that cares about this team?"

But it went right over Taylor's head, "Do you think this is up for negotiation, Tachikawa?" Her lip began curling into a sinister smile. "That coming here, throwing a temper tantrum, interrupting practice…would get you your way?" She asked silkily.

And all together, Mimi realized that there was actually no use in furthering this conversation. Taylor reveled in the fact that she had all the control—because ultimately, she did. It didn't matter that she was better than more than half of the girls chosen to be on the team. It didn't matter that she knew every single routine like the back of her hand.

None of it did.

Because in this situation, Taylor had all the power—all the leverage. And nothing anyone did or said _mattered_.

With a lot of effort, she kept herself from crying out of frustration and humiliation and anger. Instead, just collected her emotions and nodded her head. "You're right, Taylor. It was foolish of me to come here like this, I was just a little sour that I won't get to be on the field during homecoming but it's alright." She wanted to scream about how unfair it all was.

But it wouldn't make a difference.

"Look, M. Seriously you're so great and if the girls weren't graduating it wouldn't be a contest. You'd absolutely be captain material if you keep at the rate you're going." Sophia placated from the side. "I get why you'd be pissed, I would be too. And I'm honestly super sorry about how it all ended up going down—you totally didn't need to be blindsided like this." Her last few statements earned her a hateful glare from her co-captain.

It was so hollow, it was so insincere. Because if Sophia felt all these things and believed them then things wouldn't be the way they are. But no one wanted to stand up to Taylor Fujiyama and it was more than obvious why.

Because she would _always_ win.

And as if the raven haired captain was reading her very thoughts, her amethyst eyes glittered with recognition and a slow smirk began to tug at her mouth.

But Sophia kept her eyes on Mimi, "Really, it wasn't personal." She repeated.

Mimi let out a small laugh, "Right, nothing personal." She waved off. "Wish Zoe luck for me." And with that, she turned away from the pair of captains and headed back towards the Athletic Center.

She knew what her next move was going to be.

Fishing out her cell phone, she scrolled through her messages until she found who she was looking for.

 _Hey Ryo. About Saturday night—I'm in._

And when Mimi imagined Taylor's face after she saw her leaving the game with Ryo, it brought a smile to her face.

 _Game on, bitch._

-x-

She wasn't sure where she was going until she got there, all she could feel was her heart stammering out of her chest and her throat closing and her thoughts clouding her mind like a thick fog.

Mimi knew she was spoiled, she knew she had the tendency to be shallow and she knew that she was a little self-absorbed, but she had never been treated this way before. She had a little bit of a princess complex, she was used to just getting everything rather easily.

And at the core of it all, she was used to being the person decliner, never the declinee.

It stung, to be rejected.

And she hated how much.

Because truly there were so many bigger things that mattered, she was so lucky in so many ways. So what she wouldn't get to cheer at some stupid game, what did she really care about soccer anyway? It sucked that she had put so much time and effort into something that ended up amounting to absolutely nothing—but wasn't that life?

You win some, you lose some?

So why did it feel like she would never recover from this.

 _You do have a flare for the dramatics, Mimi._

She rolled her eyes at herself.

Practically sprinting up the stairs, she didn't bother stopping her pace until she was outside of the familiar door. And unplanned as it was, it only made sense this is where she would end up.

There wasn't anywhere else she could be right now.

Running her tongue over her dry lips, she crouched down onto her hands and knees, fervently searching for the tiny metal object that would allow her inside.

But all she felt were the rough carpeted floor under the mat.

 _Did he actually move it…?_

It was a crushing thought, that Matt disliked the fact that she let herself in so much that he actively decided to change it.

He could have just told her he preferred her to knock, she wouldn't have felt nearly as hurt.

With a long sigh, because jut when she thought the day couldn't really get any worse—it did, she collected herself and rose back to her feet.

"Looking for something?" A cool drawl asked behind her.

Even with all the mixed up emotions she was feeling, his voice was just about the only thing she had wanted to hear.

She wanted to lay into him about taking the key away, for being so rude and not even talking to her about it, but as soon as she turned around to face him, it all just… disappeared.

Really, she didn't have the strength to yell at him, she knew it would only be blowing off steam anyway because what really had her mad was something completely unrelated to him and the key.

One good look at her and his eyes widened, she was upset.

More than that though, she almost looked… _heartbroken_.

"Mimi, is everything…?" He set the grocery bags he had brought in on the floor, wiping his hands on his pants.

She lifted her down-casted eyes, "Matt I…" She shook her head, "I just had a really bad day is all." Her voice was so small, coming out hoarse like she was trying to hold back tears.

And while he wasn't very good at comforting or that sort of thing, even he knew what he had to do next.

With three easy strides he had closed the distance between them and before she could say anything else he had his strong arms around her tiny fame, pulling her to his chest immediately.

And the second she buried her face into his chest, she couldn't hold it in any longer. The flood gates opened, and everything she had been harboring came pouring out.

Matt rubbed her bag soothingly, tightening his grip on her as his anxiety mounted. The anxiety was coupled with another feeling though.

 _Fury_.

At whoever or whatever made her upset, he could have _killed_ them.

He was protective over his friends, he always had been. It came with the territory, crest of friendship and all. But right now, something else was tearing at his chest and he was unsure of how to categorize it. And he wasn't sure it had everything to do with how much he cared for her as a… friend.

"Come on, Mimi. Let's get you inside." He said softly, running a hand down the back of her hair.

With a few small sniffles, she pulled her face out of his chest, staring embarrassedly at the large wet spot she had left on his shirt. "I'm _so_ _sorry_ , Yama." She sniffled some more. "I didn't mean to ambush you outside of the loft."

"Didn't you though?" He grinned down at her, raising a hand to her face.

As gently as he possibly could, he cupped her cheek with his palm, brushing his thumb underneath her eye.

Mimi felt her spine go rigid at the contact, it wasn't so much the gesture but how much meaning it had felt like he had behind it. So tender and sweet and simple, it made everything feel so much better.

Unconsciously, she leaned into his hand, her eyes shutting and a small sigh escaping through parted lips.

He was exactly who she needed.

And Matt, without really even thinking about it, felt his gaze lowering to those pouty red lips that seemed swollen from all her crying.

A hunger pulsed through and it had nothing to do with an empty stomach. It was something else entirely as he swallowed it down with a dry lump in his throat.

He had to fight the urge to rip his hand away from her face, instead withdrew it calmly before nudging her towards the door.

Wordlessly, he pressed his keys into her hand before turning back to pick up his previously discarded groceries.

 _Get a hold of yourself, Ishida! What the fuck do you think you're playing at!_

Internally admonishing himself all the way inside, he set the groceries on the counter, while Mimi had already kicked off both her shoes in opposite directions before collapsing on the couch.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"Yeah, as soon as you tell me why you decided to move the key out from under the mat."

Confused, he went into the sitting area, she lifted her legs up clearly expecting him to sit on the same couch as her but he opted for the one across.

"What are you talking about?"

Mimi sighed, rolling onto her stomach. "The key, the spare." She rested her chin on a closed fist. "It's gone."

Matt went silent for a few moments, before nodding. "Well that would certainly explain why I ended up finding Tai's keys behind the microwave." He chuckled.

And even better yet, it earned him a few giggles from the melancholy brunette across from him.

 _Finally, Taichi's stupidity was useful for something._

"I wonder if he'll ever stop being so careless." She said, her mood lightening considerably.

Matt just shook his head, "Well, I showed you mine. Now you show me yours." He stared at her expectantly.

Mimi flipped back onto her back, laying flat across the sofa. "I got cut." She folded her hands over her stomach.

Matt leaned forward on his elbows, resting them on his knees to get a better look at her. "What does that mean?" He asked.

She turned her face. "It's gonna sound so stupid." She mumbled, eyes on him. "It's not even worth—

"Meems, you were so upset. You have to at least tell me why." He said gently. "And whose ass I have to kick to fix it."

Mimi felt herself laugh, "Taylor Fujiyama's." She answered cheekily.

"Ah, that might be problematic."

"Yeah, yeah. You're always all talk, Ishida."

Matt grinned at her, "One day when I _show_ you, you'll eat those words." He said to her, and the gravelly tone of it sent a shiver up her spine.

She was sure he hadn't meant it, but the innuendo left her a little breathless.

Suddenly, she was acutely aware of how the black shirt he was wearing fit across the smooth planes of his chest, his protruding biceps, the way the material glided over his broad shoulders. How his muscles flexed and stretched beneath the fabric at the slightest movement.

She felt the heat rising in her cheeks, as well as pooling somewhere else…

"Well, are you going to tell me what she did?"

Snapping back to reality, she forced her eyes on the ceiling. "Cut me from the routine, for homecoming." She said.

For anyone else, the news would have been anticlimactic. But Matt was actually very well aware of how hard she had been pushing herself this past week, she'd spent all her free time studying with him. He also knew how excited she was to be cheering at the biggest game of the season, and the certain degree of pride she had felt ever since she had made the team.

It _sucked_ to see her so down over it.

"Meems…" he was at a loss, he wasn't sure what to say, how to make her feel better. "She's stupid for that. You deserved that spot, you earned it." He said honestly.

Mimi nodded, "She said it was because it was a thirteen girl routine. Apparently they had to cut it because the girls from Karakura Town are bringing a full roster and it would have just been too messy to have so many cheerleaders out there." It had made sense, most of it. It just didn't make sense that they wouldn't keep her on. "Taylor and Sophia decided that it should be seniors only in the showcase because they were graduating which I guess I could have gotten over a bit easier, if…"

"If what?"

"If Zoe didn't get to stay on instead of me." She couldn't keep the bitterness from creeping into her voice.

Matt let out a sigh before getting up. "Don't let it get to you." He tapped her legs to move them, and he didn't miss the smile that enveloped her face when he sat beside her. "I know it doesn't feel good to be kicked out of something you did so much for. But you should know it wasn't because of lack of talent." Mimi had never been rejected a day in her life, this was a first for her.

Somewhere deep down though, he thought it might be good for her to experience it. So she realized that not everything would come so easily. That sometimes you could do _everything_ _right_ and still not get what you want in the end.

She would be stronger because of this.

Mimi shifted her position, so she was sitting beside him. "I know and I'll be fine. It just wasn't a good feeling to be undermined so easily." She shrugged, before dropping her head onto his shoulder.

He put a hand over hers, "I know, Mimi. I know." He laid his cheek over her soft tresses, wondering when the hell all of this was going to sort itself out.

Even though he had been having such confused feelings about her lately, it felt nice to just be there for her.

Their friendship had been in a state of flux since she had gotten here, this moment gave him a tiny bit of reassurance that it wasn't lost.

That when she was distressed, truly upset, she would still come to him. She still depended on him.

She still needed him.

He had been a support system to her for so long, and her to him—he couldn't imagine losing that.

"Thanks, Matt." He could hear the sleepiness in her voice and knew she was probably exhausted. "You're always… here for me." Her voice tapered off softly.

As her head grew heavier on his shoulder, her body getting limper against his side, he knew she had fallen asleep.

Mimi was his friend, his best friend, and there was no way he could lose that. Nothing was worth it, no fleeting moment of attraction, no sexual gratification could ever be as important as her.

He never wanted to _lose_ _her_.

And with love, there was _always_ loss.

At least friendship was dependable, it would be there long after his feelings of desire dissipated.

Friendship was reliable.

It was forever.

He internally vowed never to allow himself to go down the road he had been contemplating, Mimi wasn't just some girl, he couldn't afford to mess things up between them because of his libido.

There were plenty of other girls that were much more disposable than she was for that.

It was decided, he would never allow himself to get caught up in those feelings again, he would repress them and stow them away in the deepest recesses of his mind where he wouldn't be able to find it. And for all the ones he couldn't control, he would just ignore.

They were friends and that's all it would ever be.

-x-

The bus of Karakura Town University players arrived later that day, the exact time was unknown because they were rushed onto the practice field by head coach Sosuke Aizen and the brutal athletic training coach Kenpachi Zaraki.

Zaraki was a mountain of a man, his hair sticking out like sharp blades at all ends of his head in a way that made Tai's spikes look tame. He was barking orders, working the boys down to the bone and screaming maniacally about pain and blood and sweat as if it were somehow motivational.

His players seemed to be used to it though, none of them were puking up on the field.

 _Yet_.

Aizen was probably the opposite in every way possible, seemingly soft spoken and for lack of a better word…beautiful. It was as if his eyes glittered and the easy smile on his face was practically blinding. A few strands of silky brown hair fell in front of his warm brown eyes, the rest of it slicked back neatly in a gentlemanly manner. He was observing his men with the intensity of a hawk stalking its prey, however.

The boys were heavily disciplined, running plays as if their lives depended on it, transitioning in and out of formations seamlessly, rotating goalies effortlessly.

Everything was so calculated, their movements practically militaristic in precision and accuracy.

"They're…" Ryo swallowed the dry lump down in his throat.

Tai crossed his arms over his chest, "I know." He said a bit grimly, for the first time sounding a little worried.

The two observed KTU practicing, feeling more and restless as they witnessed Toushiro Hitsugaya block goal after torrid goal. It was as if there were three of him, that was how quickly he was moving.

"For a short kid he's got range." Ryo noted quietly.

"Tch." Tai let out dryly. "Sam's got just as much agility, if not _more_." The conviction was hollow.

"We have to be prepared, T." Ryo sighed, looking for some kind of reassurance that he wasn't the only one feeling the immense pressure mounting.

This game hanging around his neck like a freaking noose.

"My dad's gonna be at this game. He's bringing all his buddies, they have _box_ _seats_ , man. We _can't_ _lose_." The desperation was so evident in his voice, it made Tai want to punch his lights out.

It was actually pathetic how hard Ryo tried to please his old man.

Tai stayed silent, seeing a mop of carrot colored hair send the soccer ball sailing towards the goal.

It had been the first one to go in, but just barely.

"Kurosaki's gotten better." He let out through gritted teeth. "He's been training." He admitted in a grudging tone.

Ryo pulled a hand through his brown hair. "You're fucking telling me." He groaned.

They had no chance.

From this distance, all they could hear was Kenpachi blowing his whistle before lumbering onto the field. They had no idea what was being said, but it was clear that the giant was still not happy about something.

A tall, lithe, but bald man came striding onto the field as Kurosaki went and sat down, water bottle to his mouth.

"Madarame." Ryo mentioned under his breath. "Do you know he's had the most red flag violations of any player last season." It was the home opener, they had a full season ahead of them, and all Ryo could think about was how many players Ikkaku Madarame had sidelined due to injuries last year.

"Be on your guard, you know he plays dirty." Was all Tai contributed, eyes narrowed at the player in question.

Thank God he was a senior and this could likely be the last time they would be facing him.

Ryo threw his head back in frustration, apprehension mounting. "We just had to get them for homecoming, didn't we." He was irritated, concerned but most of all, as much as he hated to admit it, he was _nervous as hell_.

Borderline panicking, really.

Soccer had always been something that came natural to him, his parents had paid for fancy summer camps and professional trainers but he had never needed it. He never felt inadequate, only the opposite. He had always taken pride in his skill and finesse on the field, he had never felt lacking in that respect. Being used to praise and envy.

But right now, it felt like his first pee wee soccer game against a middle school team and he hated it.

It didn't help that Tai was barely acknowledging the fact that they had a real chance of _losing this game._

It wasn't long before they were spotted by someone on the other team, it wasn't as if the two had taken any effort in hiding their presence, just allowed enough distance between them and the practicing team so they wouldn't be in the way.

The orange haired scorer jogged over to them, and both Tai and Ryo stood up a little straighter, chest puffing out in typical alpha behavior.

The carrot top stopped in front of them, sweat gleaming along his clearly exerted muscles and dripping down his face.

None other than Ichigo Kurosaki, himself.

"Kamiya, Akiyama." He greeted them both with respect.

Tai just shot his eyebrows up at him with a small nod.

"How's it going, Kurosaki?" Ryo extended a hand forward.

Ichigo took it, "Zaraki's on a tirade, but what else is new." He said easily.

Tai felt his anticipation climbing, feeling increasingly agitated by the fact that Ichigo Kurosaki had a good three inches on him in height and his muscle mass seemed to have increased quite a bit since the last time they had met.

What the hell was this guy eating.

"Did you guys need the field? We had spoken with your headmaster and he had said that it was okay to use the practice field."

"Yeah, it's alright. We're scheduled to practice on the game field anyway." One thing that had gone right was that they had home field advantage and that certainly mattered.

They knew every inch of that turf like they had cultivated it, it was enormously comforting amongst the rest of the uncertainty that hung in the air.

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, but a voice interrupted him.

When he had appeared, none of the three boys had known, but standing before them in a long white robe over a coach's uniform was Sosuke Aizen, his eyes gleaming mysteriously down at them.

"Hello boys." His voice had a silky drawl.

The air felt instantly oppressive, Ryo and Tai exchanged similar looks.

"Ichigo, have you had a sufficient break?" There was nothing intimidating about his words, but his tone was just a little _too_ calm. "Do you feel like returning to the game?" His voice was so level, velvety soft and soothing.

Ichigo straightened his posture, "Of course, sir." He said immediately. "I know you can't leave Grimmjow out there for too long without someone wanting to punch him in the face." He said humorously.

Aizen gave him a polite chuckle, "He is a rowdy one." He said placidly.

"See you guys tomorrow." And with a short wave, the boy was off sprinting in the opposite direction.

Aizen swept his brown gaze over Ryo and Tai almost simultaneously. "Good luck tomorrow, boys. We hope for a good, _clean_ game." He said smoothly, and with one last glance he was off.

"There is something _seriously_ _weird_ about that guy." Tai shuddered, once the coach was out of hearing distance.

Ryo nodded, "You can say that again." He agreed.

-x-

Tai came back to the loft, running full on restless adrenaline. He wanted to run out the nerves that were quietly settling in his bones, but he knew he would only end up exerting his muscles too much for the game tomorrow. And there was no way he could afford to be at anything less than his best.

Kurosaki had a real way about him, a finesse for keeping the ball away from his competition with intensity and agility. For the first time, Tai felt evenly matched but unlike Ryo he would never mistake that for being _out matched._

He would never doubt his own ability.

If he did, for a second if he ever wavered, he wouldn't have anything left.

He had built his entire life around this one thing, he wouldn't underestimate himself, not now or ever.

Tai kicked away the rug with the tip of his shoe, before realizing that the spare key was in his back pocket and not under the mat.

He would really need to find his real pair, soon.

When it turned up missing, the soccer star just shrugged his shoulders before pounding on the door.

Smart money was on a certain brooding blonde being home on this Friday night.

He had never been much of a gambler, but he should have put money on it as he heard Matt's shuffling footsteps coming to the other side of it.

Matt threw open the door, "Kamiya." He nodded, at this point not even surprised that the boy had forgotten his keys.

Tai walked in silently and Matt noted that as unusual because Tai was nothing if not smarmy ninety-nine percent of the time.

Tai took in the dirty plates in the sink and the fact that there was a lipstick stained glass sitting on the counter and put two and two together. "Did I interrupt something?" He filled up a clean glass with water.

Matt rounded the kitchen island. "Physics homework." He rested his elbows on the counter top.

"Ah, so you've taken to wearing lipstick, then."

Matt stared at him confusedly before his eyes fell on the glass. "Mimi." He shrugged off easily. "She had some… _thing_. Needed to talk."

Tai gave a slow nod, "You should have invited her to stay the night. Get to know that thing a little more… _intimately_."

Matt blanched outwardly, sticking the brunette with a disgusted look, not so much appalled at the suggestion but instead the greasy tone it was said in.

He ignored the comment just for the sake that Tai was clearly distraught over something. "You're in a mood." He noticed.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I know that's more of your thing but don't worry I won't be making a habit of it. Dark and brooding is still your cornered market."

Matt let out a snort, "Wow, serious mood." He said. "Does it have anything to do with homecoming?"

"Probably everything to do with it."

"Seems like the appearance of Karakura Town has turned _everything_ on its head, hasn't it."

Tai pulled a hand through his hair. "They're good." He admitted gruffly.

It was two words, but Matt understood them clearly.

Tai, high and mighty, never let them see you sweat, never lose, Tai—was scared.

Of what, was still a little unsure though.

"How good?" Matt narrowed his icy eyes at the brunette.

Tai pinched the bridge of his nose. "Really good. Better than any other team I've ever seen." How the hell had this team gotten so good in the span of a year.

He had heard rumblings through the collegiate circuit that it was almost entirely due to the fact that they had switched coaches halfway through last season.

Apparently, Sosuke Aizen had done what no coach could have in the span of six months.

Turn a small town college team into a real threat.

That kind of progress was alarming at best.

"It doesn't help any that Ryo's basically given up."

Matt nodded, understanding a little bit of how Tai must have been feeling. Part of being on a team was knowing that nothing was going to be done alone. All things faced together.

It was about solidarity and brotherhood and all that sentimental jazz.

But when the links were weak, the bonds cracking, the foundation flimsy as floorboards…it was hard to feel confident.

"You've just got to go out there and give it your all, man. These guys are coming into _your house_ trying to take over _your homecoming_. Show them that it's never going to happen."Matt stuck him with a hard stare.

Tai met his eyes with a new intensity at his words. "It would be easier if my team felt that way. They're a real sorry bunch, right now." He sighed.

"They're going to be fine because you're going to make sure of it. You're going to make them come together because it's who you are." All of a sudden, all her really wanted was to see Kurosaki's orange haired self being dragged up and down the field. "You're a _leader_ , Tai. This is what you do."

"Besides, you can hardly lose to a guy who dyes his hair." Matt smirked.

Tai let out a surprised guffaw. "You think it's boxed?" He laughed.

"Definitely. You seen it up close? No way that's his real hair." Matt chuckled along.

"Yeah, you're right."

Matt walked over to Tai. "Win or lose, man. The match is as good as yours." He clapped the brunette on the shoulder. "We're all gonna be rooting for you."

Tai nodded with appreciation. "Thanks man."

"Oh and by the way." He started. "Mimi wanted me to let you know she's not your rally girl or whatever it is that you guys do, tomorrow. Someone else has your jersey." For some reason, the sentence made him feel lighter.

As if saying it was somehow cathartic.

Releasing something that had been scorching his insides like a gasoline fire.

Tai's eyebrows shot up. "Why's that?" He asked genuinely.

Matt lifted a limp shoulder. "Apparently Taylor Fujiyama cut her from the team for homecoming. Something about not needing her or whatever. Had her pretty down but that's beside the point. I think one of the other girls is going to have it for the night, she just wanted to let you know."

"Taylor's a bitch." Tai said lazily. "Mimi's been running herself ragged this week, she didn't deserve that." He was irritated by this news more than he thought he would be.

But it was a given, his mood was horrible.

Matt just shook his head.

"I can talk to her, I'm sure I'd be able to—

"You should know just as well as I do that wouldn't go over too well with Mimi." Matt grinned.

Mimi had a princess complex, that was for sure. But there was a difference between feeling a sense of entitlement and being a charity case.

She would never want Tai throwing his weight around to get her back into a routine she had been sanctimoniously kicked out of.

Even if it was unjustly.

Tai knew Matt was right, Mimi, out of sheer stubbornness, probably wouldn't go on tomorrow even if hell froze over for her and the devil himself rolled out the red carpet.

When he had seen Tai understood, Matt began walking out of the kitchen. "Don't think about the game, Tai. It's gonna end one way or the other, just hit the field hard." He offered in his retreat.

And without facing the blonde, Tai simply said. "Thanks, man. For always having my back."

-x-

A/N: Awww cue the cutesy bromantic moment between our fave guys. The Matt-Tai friendship is a personal favorite of mine, their dynamic, in my opinion, has such a range that you can kind of cultivate anything out of it. While it is always fun to write them bickering and insulting, I thought this was just as satisfying. This chapter was **not so romance** oriented, but that was by design. I wanted to shine a little bit more of a spotlight on the mimato friendship so hopefully that came across the way I wanted it to.

Secondly, thank you all so much not only for the reviews (seriously you're all amazing) but for your heartfelt congratulations on my guys have been with me since I was sixteen years old, so it felt so natural sharing something like this with you all. You seriously mean so much to me

Obviously this isn't a BleachxDigi crossover story but these two (maybe three) chapters are going to be. Again, like I said, you don't have to know anything about Bleach for the purpose of this story.

I'm not sure if this needs clearing up, but in soccer **red flag violations** just mean a foul of some sort, the opposite team gets a penalty kick. The fact that Ryo was saying that about Ikkaku Madarame was to show that he was a pretty violent guy and doesn't really care who gets in his way.

I think I've covered mostly everything but I'm editing at 2am so please forgive me if I've left anything out.

ON TO THE THANK YOU'S!

 **Kiki** : thank you for the review! I hope that this chapter is what you were hoping for! Hope to hear from you soon!

 **Cancercute** : THANK YOU SO MUCH. You know how much I love you and how much I've appreciated your support throughout my entire time on this site. You and sincerefriendship are two of the oldest friends I've had on this site, so I always adore hearing from you! The duet scene was such a fluffy favorite of mine, I just couldn't help myself. I had that song running on a loop as I wrote it because I couldn't think of a thing more fitting. LOL, your Ryo comment (how well you know me :P) I do plan on building his character a bit more and I was hoping to kind of give him a little depth this chapter (subtly) with the mention of his dad. I hope this chapter did the wait justice (though can we all acknowledge that this was kinda timely for me) and I really hope to hear from you soon!

 **Guest (1):** Thank you so much! I appreciate all the love and congrats. If you found indecisive Matt frustrating last chapter, well…I'm sure its even worse in this one, LOL. It's so hard not to write them just together already, like I want to give in and give them a kiss with all the fireworks and passion but I just can't yet! I hope you liked this chapter and I would love to know what you thought of it!

 **Supernaturalfan17980** : Thank you very much for the review, I so appreciated it and I'm really glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I think she decided ;) even if it was majority to spite Taylor. Hope this chapter was worth waiting for, can't wait to hear your thoughts on it!

 **Guest (2)** : Thank you for the congratulations, it means so much! It was such a huge moment in my life (of course) so I really appreciate the love. Haha, you know I feel your similar frustrations while writing the chapters because I've never been one to be able to exercise restraint when it comes to writing Mimato angst/romance. But I'm really forcing myself to take this as slow as I can. As for the game, I guess you'll just have to tune into the next chapter to find out ;) Thank you so much for the review, I love hearing what you think about it! I look forward to hearing from you soon!

 **Angelic Moonlight** : Thank you so much! It makes me so happy reading all the warm and fuzzy congratulation messages from you and everyone else. Thank you for your understanding about why I couldn't keep up the two week deal, but I tried my best to get it up as soon as possible. I'm soooo happy you enjoyed the chapter, it was really fun to write, actually. Mimato singing together always tugs at the heartstrings, they're just so cute! I think Matt needs a lot of nudging in the right direction, but we can all hope that he gets it together sooner rather than later! Thank you so much for the review as well as the well wishes, I always love hearing from you and your continued support means the world to me. Hope to hear from you soon!

 **OnceUponAnOriginal** : Thank you so much for the congrats! I really appreciate it I'm serious SO HAPPY that you're liking the story so far, it's actually pretty different from what I usually write so it's new for me but I'm glad I'm not sucking at it LOL. Hopefully this update email finds you well, and I can't wait to hear what you thought about this chapter!

 **Isabel Black** : THANK YOU SO MUCH! You know I love hearing from you and yes, he is my perfect Yamato (mixed with a little bit of Taichi humor and athleticism) I totally agree with you about the disparity between the hit count and review ratio but I've come to accept it. I appreciate everyone's input though because it makes me feel like my hard word isn't wasted. I wish I understood Spanish so I could read some of your work :(  
I tried really hard to make the interaction as realistic as possible, I had always imagined Yamato being a bit more aloof and disconnected in any situation so it wasn't too hard to bring that out of him.  
LOL—that's so hilarious that your boss caught you grinning at a Mimato scene, girl, we've all been there! The amount of times my mom's come into my room because I'm squealing too loud is too many to count.  
Mimi is literally the most shippable character EVER and I plan on giving a bit of depth to Ryo's character.  
Haha, jealous-non cool-Yamato will be fun to write (evil laugh)  
My reply to your review was probably longer than the review itself, so I'm super sorry you have to read all this but I couldn't help it! Thank you so much for the great review and I hope to hear from you soon!

 **Angelxchild** : THANK YOU! I appreciate the congratulations as well as all your reviews, they're insightful to me :) I honestly just love hearing from everyone who reads the my story just to get their thoughts and opinions on it so I can continue to improve in my writing and grow as an author. I hope this update finds you well and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

 **Absolutefaith** : YAYY another Bleach fan! I love Matsumoto, I think the comedic relief she provides to Bleach is unmatched. I think she's absolutely hilarious. I was actually planning on inserting her into the next chapter, so I hope you'll like her interactions with Tai. Let me know if you want to see anyone else and what you thought of Ichigo and Tai's interaction. I hope you laughed at the last scene where Matt said Ichigo's hair was dyed! I can only imagine the real Ichigo wanting to go bankai on him for saying that. I'm trying to keep the Taiora (will they? Won't they?) ambiguous on purpose, mostly because Tai is _so not there_ and I think Sora of all people definitely knows that better than anyone else. Thank you so much for the congratulations and for the review, I loved reading it. I hope to hear from you very soon!

AND TO EVERYONE WHO FAVORITES, FOLLOWS OR SIMPLY JUST READS ALONG—THANK YOU!

Last order of business and I can end this THREE PAGE LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE.  
 **How do you guys feel about Taylor (and Sophia)** , I'm not particularly great with OC's so I just want to know how they're being received! And any other questions, concern, concrit you guys have, feel free to let me know!

 **Until next time!**

 **P.S: I JUST REALIZED THERE WAS NO SORA** IN THIS CHAPTER WHATSOEVER! Did anyone miss her/notice?


	11. Burning the Harbor

" ** _Slow Burn"_** _(def.): an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time._

-x-

 **Chapter Eleven** : _Burning the Harbor_

-x-

Homecoming didn't just start and end with the game, as Mimi was learning more and more every second. No, it was a weeklong affair that had endless obligations and responsibilities and even though she had been ceremoniously booted from a routine she slaved over, that didn't get her out of her duties as a cheerleader.

For instance, the Homecoming Mixer.

A Saturday afternoon brunch that was meant to encourage collegiate cooperation and friendship among the rivaling teams. Just a gesture to show that not everything was about competition, though no one really believed it.

And it was the most annoying place to be right now because seriously why did she have to pretend to be friendly with people she was probably never going to see again. She had no reason to be nice, keeping a safe distance everyone in the room.

She grabbed a mini pecan pie from one of the many buffet tables set up with assorted foods, moodily chewing on it while glancing around the well-lit room. This type of gathering seemed like it was commonplace for just about everyone except her, who had never been to something so elaborate for a school event. But she had been to enough society afternoon tea's to know how to behave in a dignified manner.

Of course, Mimi was sure she would have been much more dignified and refined had she been in a better mood. But every time she saw Taylor Fujiyama laughing it up fakely with the KTU soccer players and cheerleaders, Mimi just wanted to throttle her.

"You know, normally your demeanor lights up a room."

She pulled on a practiced smile, turning to her side. "I'm not feeling too cheery today." She said.

"Well, that's precarious considering your current social obligations, I would try to fix that."

Mimi let out a small chuckle, "Shouldn't you be pretending to be getting along with the competition?" She raised a brow.

"Couldn't I ask you the same thing?" His green eyes twinkled down at her.

Mimi inadvertently looked to the raven haired captain, she wanted to tell him how this technically wasn't really her competition anymore considering…

But she bit her tongue, this was war—but it was between herself and Taylor.

She didn't need anyone fighting her battles for her.

But there was a certain joy she felt when she thought about the fact that Ryo was standing in front of her with his soulful green eyes and giving _her_ that boyish grin instead of Taylor.

"Well, how about you introduce me around since I very well don't know anyone and that way we can both scope out the opposition."

Ryo, who looked mildly surprised, just extended his elbow out to her.

Mimi took his elbow and took a second to appreciate how wonderfully Ryo Akiyama filled out a well-tailored suit. The material was so soft and she knew the fabric must have been custom the second her fingers touched it. She looked down at his Italian leather shoes, took in his expensive, clean shaven smell and for a second thought of how proud her mother would be to know she was on his arm.

It was all her parents had ever wanted to for her.

But as soon as the thought came, it left.

Because she had always wished they wanted more from her.

"See the mop of strawberry orange hair?"

Mimi nodded, giggling softly at his description. "That's the guy I have to be better than. Ichigo Kurosaki." He continued.

"Shouldn't be too hard, he doesn't look like much of a threat."

"Your confidence in me is inspiring, Mimi." He said with half a grin. "The short one with the silver hair." He nodded towards a quiet corner of the room, where a boy dressed in a suit that looked like it was made for a child, darted his cerulean eyes, surveying everyone else with chilling calmness. "That's Toushiro Hitsugaya, he's got the fastest hands…and feet, of anyone I've seen. It's like there's three of him."

Mimi could tell by the look on his face, he was serious.

"The bald one, with the weird eyebrows. That's Ikkaku Madarame. He's literally insane." And that was all the description that was given to the guy who looked like he was drinking something much stronger than punch, held in a suspicious Styrofoam cup.

Mimi's eyes fell on Tai who was a few paces away, but he wasn't talking to any of the players. Instead, he had his eyes on a tall, lithe, ash blonde.

Well, he had his eyes somewhere on her.

"Jealous?" Ryo asked.

Mimi rolled her eyes, "Of Tai talking to racks out Barbie?" She shook her head. "No. not even slightly."

"Well, if you were. I would tell you that Rangiku doesn't date college boys anyway. From what I heard, she'd dating a professor in the English department."

"My, my. Look at you up on all the gossip."

"Well, Zoe _is_ my sister. I hear things." He shrugged.

She stopped at the refreshment table, turning herself so she was standing in front of him. "So what do you hear about me?" She arched a brow.

Ryo had always considered himself a bit of a ladies man, he knew his way was around the female form pretty well. But she did something to him, being around her felt _different_. As if she was something completely new and he had no idea how to approach her.

Even just the way she smiled had him feeling out of sorts.

And the more he got to know her, the harder it was to ignore.

He, Ryo Akiyama, was _falling_ for this girl.

His eyes traveled the length of her, and Mimi followed his green gaze with her own.

Finally, he leaned in towards her, a hand on her forearm pulling her close. "I've heard…" His voice was velvety smooth, his breath on her skin. "That you are the most exquisite thing in this room." His lips touched her ear and it sent a shiver twirling up her spine.

Mimi felt the blood rising in her cheeks, "Ryo, I…" Her lips parted, searching for words as she inhaled him.

And then his touch was gone, his posture straightening, a slow smirk forming on his face.

Mimi closed her mouth, her eyes darting around the room. Of course the exchange didn't go entirely unnoticed, amethyst eyes were now boring holes into her head.

If looks could kill…

Suddenly, Mimi felt flimsy and underhanded about her plan to use Ryo to get Taylor jealous. Not only because the girl was borderline psychotic, but the guilt about toying with someone who was seemingly sincere, catching up with her rather quickly.

It was easy when she thought Ryo was just a womanizing ass, but she was quickly beginning to understand that under the façade he was entirely different and it wasn't so easy to overlook that.

Mimi tucked a loose strand behind her ear, "I should, make my rounds." She put a few more inches between them for safety.

Ryo looked surprised by her reaction, until he saw the corner she kept looking to. "God, Mimi if you're worried about Taylor you don't need to be. I'm not with her and I haven't been for a while—

"But she's your date to this thing." Mimi interrupted, wringing her hands in front of her. "And honestly, I really don't think she knows that."

"Not by choice." He protested, ignoring the last part. "It's the cheerleaders that insist on that whole boy draft thing, we don't even care for it except that it avoids all the stupid petty drama." He insisted

Mimi nodded, "No, I know, but still." She sighed. "It's in poor taste."

"Forget taste. _Forget_ manners. Who cares about all that stuff!" He wanted to shake her, how could she deny what was between them. "None of it matters if you fee—

"Now's not the time." She held up a hand. "I…I should make my rounds." She repeated.

He grabbed her by the arm, stopping her from turning away from him. "I'm getting a little tired of chasing you." He said quietly.

And when she looked up at him, she saw soft, undeniable vulnerability in his eyes. "I get why you might not trust me, but I haven't even _thought_ of another girl since I started pursuing you. That's gotta count for something…right?" In a rather roundabout way, she realized this is how it felt to be around a guy who didn't guard his emotions every single second.

He was willing to show her that he cared for her, it didn't matter that he was leaving himself exposed in the process.

Mimi, despite her best efforts to stop it, felt a small smile on her face. "It does." She put a hand over his, loosening his grip on her. "But I need a little more time." She squeezed his fingers and he let go of her.

Ryo nodded, green eyes looking at her determinedly. "I'm going to win that game, Mimi. I don't care what it takes." He had a fire in him that wouldn't be put out.

It had been a really long time since he wanted to win _this_ badly.

"I sure hope so."

"And then I'm going to take you out." He said with finality and it left no room for argument.

A small laugh escaped her, "Focus on tonight, superstar. We can talk after." She gave him a wink, before turning away.

-x-

They won, somehow, some way TU had won.

It was a miracle save by Sam at the end, one that basically defied all laws of logic, reasoning, gravity and probably physics at the same time. The winning goal had come from Davis, which was a pleasant surprise not just for Kari but the entire stadium and the roar of a homecoming crowd gone wild could have been heard three towns over.

Mimi ran out of her seat before she even realized she had gotten up and with everyone else she rushed onto the field. The first arms that caught her were Tai's and she couldn't even hate him for dripping sweat all over her. "You were amazing!" She screeched over the crowd and he twirled her for good measure, before letting her onto the grass.

As Sora passed by him, no doubt on her way to Sam, he grabbed her by the wrist turning her around. "What am I? Chopped liver?" He squeezed her to his chest, before littering her hair with kisses. "Don't I deserve a congratulations?"

Sora laughed, arms hanging loosely around his neck. "You were great as always, Tai. But I'm sure you already knew that." She said warmly. "Now, my boyfriend awaits." She pulled out her arms.

"Boyfriend?" He raised an eyebrow. "Things must be getting serious, Takenouchi!" He called after her.

Sora threw a blushing glance over her shoulder. "I'll be seeing you." She smiled, before disappearing out of his sight.

Tai shook his head, before turning around. "Time to celebrate!" He roared, as he threw an arm around Matt's shoulders.

Out of the corner of a green eye, he saw honey colored locks swaying in the middle of a crowd of cheerleaders. He pulled himself away from his cheering teammates and jogged over to her.

"We won." He breathed out, eyes shining.

A shy smile took over her face. "You did." Everything was so loud, the lights were so bright and right now he looked _so perfect_.

He grabbed her hand, rushing to pull her out and away from the amassing crowd of TU students and faculty and fans.

She sped up to a light jog to keep up with him, finding it hard to get a word in to ask him where they were going.

Finally, he stopped in a quieter corner shadowed by the bleachers.

"Ryo, what are you…" She couldn't finish her sentence, he was so happy she could barely stop staring.

He was so alive.

He hazarded a hand on her cheek, cupping it softly. "I meant what I said, I hope you did to." There was a definite air of nervousness in his voice.

He was actually scared she was going to back out.

For some reason that made Mimi's heart flutter.

"I uh…" She wanted to say yes, she knew she should but for some reason she couldn't.

She shifted her weight from foot to foot, glancing over his shoulder.

He nodded, dropping his hand from her skin. "Look, it's overwhelming and I get that." He didn't seem angry in the slightest. "How about this, we go to the bonfire, let all this adrenaline ride out of our systems. And if by the end of the night you're still having doubts about me, I promise I won't push you." He held his hands up on either side of him.

"Bonfire?"

Ryo nodded.

"Yeah. Um so, basically after homecoming we all go down to the harbor and have this huge bonfire where you throw something into the fire that you hate or just want to get rid of, I guess?" He shrugged a shoulder. "Its tradition, I'm surprised Taylor didn't tell you guys, she's nuts for it."

"Huge open flame, burning things. Sounds like something she would enjoy." Mimi said dryly. "Anyway, it seems like fun—count me in."

"Cool, I'll see you there then." He dropped a chaste kiss on her cheek.

Mimi just nodded.

He was only a few steps away when he turned around, jogging backwards. "Oh and Mimi? Don't feel pressured, okay? I like you and I'm not playing any games here but I get it if you don't trust that quite yet."

-x-

She and Sora had gotten dressed and ready for the bonfire in record time, the dress code was a bit compromised considering early fall was not optimal cute-outfit-weather so she had opted for a full sleeved sweater and a pair of leggings.

Sora looked effortless in her ripped up jeans that folded at the ankle and long sleeved t-shirt that had some emo band on the front, and over it she had tossed on her black leather jacket.

Sam had picked both of them up in his car and once she had gotten to the harbor, it was beautiful. The waves crashed softly against the docks, the moon shining a beautiful reflection across the ocean. Under the cover of darkness, the water looked almost black and ominous with mystery and depth. She lightly shivered as she got out of the car, feeling herself beginning to get anxious.

It seemed as if the entire University was here and briefly, she wondered if Matt would show up. She hadn't actually spoken to him about it, the last time she'd seen him was during the game, and they had lost each other after that.

She hoped he would come though, if nothing else than for his company.

The bonfire was tall and the largest she had seen. She wondered if it was even legal to have an open fire that big so close to a loading dock. But she didn't dwell on it.

Sam had wrapped an arm around Sora's shoulders, his head bending towards her ear to whisper something. Sora smiled, amber eyes staring up at him in that lovesick way new couples looked at each other and Mimi knew it was her queue to find somewhere else to hang out.

 _Anywhere else._

She walked toward the makeshift bar, where a few boys from the basketball team were doing shots. Graciously she accepted a red cup with whatever concoction they had cooked up and as soon as it touched her lips she knew it was a bad idea.

The drink was poisonous in its alcohol toxicity.

She would be plastered if she didn't pace herself.

She saw Zoe being hoisted upside down into a keg stand and she couldn't help but laugh. It was such a precarious positon to see little miss perfect in.

"Hey." A deep baritone said behind her.

Mimi turned around to familiar blue eyes "Hey." She smiled and for some reason felt a sense of relief overcome her. "I'm surprised to see you." She said honestly.

He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Me too. But I live with _Tai_ and after tonight I didn't have the heart to say no. Besides he had me taking shots before we even got out the door." He shrugged.

Mimi laughed, "Well, I'm glad you're here. I was feeling kind of… _third_ _wheel-y_ , back there." She jabbed a thumb behind her in the general direction of a making out couple.

"Can't imagine that was much fun." He commiserated.

"No, it definitely was not."

"Well, how'd it go with Taylor and the other cheer-robots?"

Mimi shook her head, "It didn't. And to be honest, I didn't mind being in the stands sitting next to you." She gave him a sweet smile

One that completely melted his heart and reminded him of all the timeless things in life like red roses and shooting stars and sunset skies.

He felt the alcohol catching up to him quickly, his head was starting to feel fuzzy and something about being in her presence made him a little breathless.

"I didn't mind having you there."

"So, what are you burning in the fire?" She clasped her hands behind her back.

He walked up a few steps, "Ah, nothing." He bumped her shoulder to get her to start walking with him.

"Why? Too cool?" She kinked a brow at him.

He chuckled, "I just never really had anything I hated enough to burn." He was simple, at least in terms of material possessions.

In his entirety though, he was beyond complicated. Something she would never be able to decode, no matter how close she got.

"Must be nice, to be so… _free_." She mentioned.

He leaned back a little, eyes turning to the starlit sky. "So, out with it. What are you burning?" Because he knew her as well as he was able to know another person and it wouldn't be Mimi if she didn't bring something with dramatic flare.

"I'm glad you asked." She beamed, before digging into the satchel bag over her shoulder.

He waited as she fished something out of it and his mouth dropped when he realized what it was. "Mimi…"

It was her cheerleading uniform.

"Yeah." She nodded, seemingly satisfied with the reaction she had gotten. "I'm done, you know? With the games and the manipulation and all the competitive B.S—" She stopped to roll her eyes. "When I joined the team it was because I wanted to be a part of something but not something like _this_."

He took her elbow, stopping her in front him. "No, you can't do that." He put a hand over her wrist, lowering the garment she was holding up for him. "You love everything about being out there and doing all that school spirit stuff that I will never be in to but it's who you are." She was that tumbling, glittering, bouncing, gleaming ball of light.

She wasn't meant to be contained or confined.

She was meant to shine.

A confused look crossed her face, "I, I thought you hated this whole thing. You think the girls are vapid and shallow and athlete obsessed fan girls and you have never really been supportive of any of it—no offense." She added quickly. "So I just don't really get why you of all people would be convincing me out of quitting."

"Because, Mimi." A soft smile down at her. "Like I said, I'm never going to understand it. But I know you, and this isn't like you. I've seen you fight harder for a pair of shoes than you are for this and I just think you're giving up before you've even tried." And then he gave her that half grin that had sent lesser girls than her into cardiac arrest.

She had no idea how to explain away the butterflies that had just erupted in her stomach, or what sent her heart slamming against her ribcage at a hundred miles per hour. But the way his eyes looked in the moonlight and how wonderful he smelled and the way he was staring at her, left her feeling completely undone.

Alarm sounds were going off all over her brain.

 _Stop while you can, you just got your friend back!_

Mimi shook her head, taking a step back. "That's nice of you, Yama. And yeah, I guess I'm pretty adamant when I want something." She recovered with a laugh. "I just, I feel like maybe it's juvenile. Maybe I was just excited and got wrapped up in the wrong thing. You know, when I was first coming here I thought I would join the drama club or something equally as worthwhile and the more I think about it, the more I feel like I am just _wasting my time_ when I could be doing something really great. I should be figuring out the rest of my life and th—

"Rambling." He cut her off. "I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying maybe take a step back. Take some time to think about it and if this is what you want. And you know I'll whole heartedly support you if you decide to quit this thing but I just want it to be what you want." He rubbed her shoulder affectionately.

Mimi let out a sigh. "You're probably right." She conceded. "I'm kind of flighty, I guess. Impulsive and emotional." She said it easily, ticking off her perceived flaws like a grocery list. "Thanks for keeping me grounded."

"I love those things about you." He said without missing a beat. "Because even if you think I keep you grounded, you keep me from going _insane_." He promised her.

She brought with her, everything good into his life—light and purity and clarity.

Without a second thought, she bridged the distance between them. Caution be damned, she threw her arms around his neck tucking her face into the crook between his collar and the base of his neck. He had hesitated for a moment but wrapped his arms around her tiny waist pulling her close to him.

It felt different this time, than the million other times. As if the air around them had even shifted, becoming charged with electric current and unstable heat. She could practically feel the tension between them, the way their bodies pressed against each other and even this 'friendly hug' set her skin on fire.

"You mean the world to me, Matt." She whispered "I never want to lose you." She would fall apart.

He pressed a hand into her upper back, pushing her even closer into himself. "I'll always be here, Mimi."

She pulled her head out of his neck, hazel eyes staring into cobalt blues. She could practically hear his heart beat in her ears, his inviting scent enveloped her—rousing her senses so shamelessly.

His breath lapped warmly against her lips, she was so close to him she could almost taste him. Thoughts about his lips and how wonderful they would feel began taking over her entire mind, clouding everything in a haze of desire that revolved only around him. She was acutely aware of his hands, his fingers—every inch of him and the breadth of desire that came with him.

And there wrapped up in his strong arms, mere centimeters from his lips, the severity of what could happen came crashing down around her.

 _It was all wrong._

She pulled out of his arms, and it seemed as if he had had a similar realization because he was the one to put the distance between them.

"Thanks for the pep talk, Matt. I think I'll just throw in this stupid bracelet Michael gave me instead." She said quickly.

Hearing the name of her ex irked him immediately, so letting her leave wasn't hard. "Yeah, I'm gonna go find Tai. He was emotional about spending time together tonight." He said immediately after her.

"I'll see you, Matt."

-x-

"You're so hilarious, Tai. Did anyone ever tell you that?" Her voice was overly sweet with an air of maturity that bordered on sensual.

Something about this sexed up goddess left him feeling hot and most definitely bothered. While the girls around TU had never presented much of challenge, he had been working on Rangiku Matsumoto since the second he saw her.

His usual charm was not up to par to get a girl like her, she seemed sophisticated and worldly and there were other things about her he couldn't ignore.

Those deep cerulean eyes and that ash blonde hair.

And most certainly those…

He snapped his eyes back up to her face, "They have. But, I have never heard it from a mouth as beautiful as yours." He pulled out the grin that left most girls swooning.

Though it didn't do much but elicit another trill of giggles from the busty blonde. "You know, I should probably be more considerate about the fact that we lost. I'm sure the boys are _incredibly_ melancholy." She put a finger to her chin as if in deep contemplation. "But you know, sulking's never been much fun. And boy, when Ichigo gets it in him to sulk he could go on for days." She then began drinking from her personal flask and Tai wasn't sure it was possible but he had just grown more infatuated with this woman.

She could drink most grown men under the table.

"Oh I think they're getting along just fine without you." He assured her hurriedly. "Besides, sad wouldn't look very good on you."

"And here I thought everything looked good on me!" She feigned offense and Tai back-peddled quickly.

"No, no, of course it does." He waved his hands back and forth in assurance. "I just meant that you're not meant to be sad, you should always be smiling!"

He was tanking, for the first time since freshmen year of high school, he was tanking.

 _All systems failing! Emergency to ground control! Alert! Alert! Alert!_

His brain was working overtime trying to figure out how to seal the deal with the most beautiful woman alive and nothing was working. He was efficiently crashing and burning. And what was worse was that she was going to be on a bus tomorrow morning, out of his life for probably ever and he needed to do something to get her to come back to the loft with him tonight.

"You know, Tai. I kind of really love the idea of a bonfire after homecoming. It's very… metaphorical." She certainly was dating her English professor, he could tell.

"Well, it wasn't my idea. But if you'll give me credit for it, I don't mind taking it."

Another trill of giggles and he was beginning to regain hope. "You're so silly." She rubbed his shoulder with a soft hand.

Silly, was not a word he wanted to hear her use.

Sexy, yes. God-like—for sure.

But silly? No.

He was about ready to let the ocean swallow him whole, he had spent every free minute of this weekend trying to get this girl to find him so disarmingly attractive that she would have no choice but to go to bed with him and the best he'd gotten was _silly._

"Handsome too, though." She winked at him.

This was it, his opening and it was now or never. He had to shoot his shot, if he didn't he knew there would be a massive regret hanging over his head for a very long time.

That and Ryo would be rubbing this loss in his face until the end of time and there was no way he was going to give the guy that kind of satisfaction.

When he leaned in to meet her mouth, he could feel her surprise. And while she did kiss him back for the briefest of seconds, she pushed him back just as soon.

Talk about embarrassing.

" _Ohhhh_ , _Tai_. You're so sweet." She put a hand over her heart and it was the icing on the cake.

The way she said _sweet_ made him sound like an injured puppy or a baby that fell on his bottom every time he tried to walk.

Tai just shook his head, drowning himself in alcohol to avoid making eye contact with one of the few girls who had ever turned him down.

"You're _adorable_ , seriously. And if I was into college boys, it would totally be you." It sounded so patronizing when she said it like that. "But I'm not, I'm sorry." Her lower lip pouted out to him and he just smiled at her.

"I had to try." He muttered and she gave him a look of sympathy before walking away.

He sat down where he was standing, the mouth of the Pacific Ocean opening at his feet.

"You know Tai, I'd never turn you down."

Her voice was familiar and soothing, a balm for his bruised ego.

And while he prided himself on being a strict non-repeater, there was a saying about desperate times.

Briefly, he wondered why it all left him so unfulfilled. He was at the peak of his university career, always had girls throwing themselves at him, he coasted through school work on mediocrity and charm and he only ever worried about anything on game days. Still, something stirred in him when he had met Rangiku.

It wasn't about the fact that she looked a girl out of a catalog, but more that she wasn't falling over herself of him.

She had been a _challenge_.

And it was different from everything else that was all too easy.

Still, thoughts like these were few and far between—never lingering long enough for him to give some serious consideration.

So before he could excavate the cause of this mini existential crisis, he got up, turned on his heel and firmly planted his mouth on the blonde who had been standing behind him.

And while Catherine didn't thrill him, at least she was dependable.

-x-

He was drunk.

He always knew when he had gone from feeling good to definitely drunk, his head would get all light and fuzzy and he would stop thinking rationally. All those pent up emotions he never let out would start tumbling around, confusing themselves and him, and he would start feeling things he knew were a direct reaction to the alcohol.

Right now, from across the pier, the sight of Mimi and Ryo chatting happily was giving rise to something inside him he could hardly control.

He had this urge to punch something.

Well, someone.

A very specific someone, in fact.

Cropped brown hair…annoying smirk.

"Wow, that's an intense stare. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of one of those."

Matt took a long sip of his drink. "Zoe." He acknowledged the blonde who had sidled up beside him.

"Such a warm greeting."

"How's it going?"

"That's more like it." She nodded. "And my night is probably going better than yours considering the mood." She pointed out.

Matt shrugged, "No mood. Just observing the scene is all." Actually, though, he was in a mood.

In no mood for her.

"Can I ask you a question?"

She was clearly not going anywhere, though. Regardless of how icy he was being.

"Hn."

She took that as enough affirmation to continue. "You obviously _really_ don't like these things. So why do you come?" She'd never been able to figure it out.

Or him, for that matter.

His very being seemed to repel the idea of having meaningless fun.

Yet, he would usually show up.

"For Tai." He said, taking another long sip.

"And that's all?" She knew it was more than that.

It had to be.

Sure, he and Tai might be close but surely that wasn't enough.

"I mean, I kinda feel like you would rather be just about anywhere else." She continued.

Matt sighed, "You're probably right." His answer was tight lipped, ocean eyes still on the brunette in the distance. "But I come for my friends, to spend time with them."

"But Tai's been striking out with Rangiku all night and Sora's pretty much been M.I.A since she got here and Mimi…" She noticed the shift in his demeanor immediately.

Slowly nodding, she was finally beginning to understand.

"It's her, isn't it?"

His eyes snapped to the blonde, "Who?" He asked, hard eyes peering down at her.

Zoe shook her head, "Mimi, the girl you've been pining over all night." She pointed down the pier for good measure.

"Okay, first of all. I do not _pine_." He said immediately. "And second, Mimi's my friend. It's not like that." How unconvincing it sounded out loud.

Feeble and hollow and anything but sincere.

It would sound better when he was sober.

Zoe let out a laugh, "That was the worst lie I've ever heard." She said, sad amusement in her cerulean eyes.

Matt didn't say anything, instead patting around his pockets for the pack of cigarettes he was hoping he didn't leave on his bedside table.

He could really use one right now.

"She probably feels the same, Matt. I got a real territorial vibe from her the first time we met." She chuckled towards the end, trying to make light of it all.

It wasn't light though and she knew that.

Finally finding it, he pulled the carton out of his pocket. "No offense, blondie, but you have _no_ _idea_ what you're talking about." He pulled one out and stuck it between his lips.

The smile fell off her face, "Maybe not." She raised a shoulder.

He found his lighter in his back pocket, "I appreciate the advice and all, but I'm a big boy—I can handle myself." He inhaled deeply. "Besides, he's your brother. Isn't it a little treasonous to be talking the way you are?" He raised his brows at her.

Zoe nodded, "I don't think so. I mean, for what it's worth, yeah I do think Ryo really likes Mimi." She told him. "I've never really heard him talk about a girl the way he talks about her. Not even Taylor." Ryo wasn't easily swayed.

But she knew him better than anyone else, and she knew he'd been enamored from the moment he met the brunette.

He blew the smoke away from her, "Pick a side." He said with a dry chuckle.

Maybe she wasn't such bad company after all.

When she wasn't batting her eyelashes and pushing out her breasts at him.

He liked her a lot better when she wasn't trying so hard.

"Believe it or not, I'm kind of looking out for him. Because I know Ryo feels something for her and I don't think Mimi does, not for him at least."

Matt looked at her quizzically. "How could you _possibly_ know that about her? You don't even know Mimi." It was a natural reaction for him, the _need_ to protect her.

"Well, I do know what a girl looks like she's into a guy and Mimi doesn't look at my brother like that. I just don't want him to fall for someone who has no intentions of reciprocating, that's all."

"It's none of your business either way." The conversation was becoming uncomfortable fast.

He wanted out of it.

"Look, I didn't mean to pry or anything." Zoe said honestly. "I just thought you looked like you could use someone to talk to and I was kind of in the same boat." She admitted.

Matt took the last sip of his drink, his insides searing as the liquid slid down his throat.

He was borderline wasted at this point.

Smoking didn't help either.

And as he looked over at Mimi, her head thrown back in laughter over something that Ryo had said, he realized Zoe was right about something.

He would rather be _anywhere else but here_.

His gaze slid over her, pretty blonde hair framing her equally pretty face. Her delicate features accentuated by the dancing firelight.

He hadn't given her a lot of credit before, but being this close to her now he could hardly deny how perfect she was.

Like a little porcelain doll.

"You should toss those into the fire." She said, pointing at the butt of his cigarette. "The pack. I mean, how symbolic would that be?" She laughed. "And ironic. You look like you could appreciate irony."

Matt felt smile tug at the corners of his mouth, "As long as it's not at my expense." He said.

"I'm serious. It's what the bonfire is all about, right?"

Matt pulled a hand through his hair. "I wouldn't know. What did you throw in, anyway?" He asked as a change of subject.

"It was uh…"

She got real quiet then, her gaze averted as she stared out into the darkening ocean.

His interest piqued, because all of a sudden she didn't seem so shallow anymore. Her reaction made him think that there might be some depth to her after all.

As if the thing she hated enough to get rid of forever was something more than a bad outfit choice or an ugly hair accessory.

"You don't have to tell me." He said. "But you didn't have any problem getting personal with me, so you do kind of owe me." He grinned.

Zoe let out a pleasant giggle. "It's kinda heavy. I'm not trying to kill your buzz." She wrung her fingers around each other.

"I don't think it will."

She stared at him, "Well, the whole brooding, tortured thing seems to be your specialty so I guess it probably won't." She said, on second thought. "It's uh, well it was this stupid picture I had of me and …" She stopped there.

"An ex?" He asked lazily.

Zoe let out a small snort. "My dad." She said flatly.

His eyes widened. "Really?" He couldn't understand why she would tell him something like that.

Especially after the insensitive comment he had made about it being a past boyfriend.

"Okay, don't look at me like that, I don't deserve it. I'm not some poor orphan Annie. I have a _really_ amazing life, I'm not going to take anything away from that. My step dad has always been so great to me and my mom." She said quickly.

Matt didn't say anything.

"I only brought that picture because I was tired of holding on to it. _To him_." She said softly. "He's never called, not even one birthday or Christmas. And when he left us, he literally didn't give a crap what happened to me. Whether I lived or died. I hated him for so long for not caring about me and I was such a bitch because of it. I just wanted to finally let it go, to be able to honestly say that I don't _want_ to see him." She breathed out.

As if she had been holding all that in for a really long time.

And he knew she probably had been, because it didn't seem like she had too many people she could talk to about stuff like this.

Definitely not her mom and probably not Ryo either without it getting misconstrued.

Maybe he was the only person she'd told.

"I know a thing or two about absentee parents." He knew he was drunk, he'd never be drudging all this up if he wasn't.

"I honestly do have two really good parents, Ryo's dad has always treated me like his own daughter and I am so grateful to him for that." She felt guilty, making him remember things that were painful when her problems with her dad didn't seem nearly as big. "My dad just never even wanted to know me, I guess that's the thing that's always _killed_ me. That some guy who didn't know me from a hole in the wall was willing to _raise_ _me_ but _my own father_ never even tried." She couldn't keep the spite out of her voice and Matt didn't blame her.

Because even though his parents had let him down _a lot_ , neither one of them had completely _abandoned_ him. Sure, his mom was basically non-existent ninety percent of the time but she still called. He saw her on Christmas, his birthday, during breaks from school. And she had tried to work it out with his dad, for his sake, even though the little time they spent together she was absolutely _miserable_. And Matt knew she had stuck around for as long as she could in that toxic, pathetic, unholy excuse for a marriage.

It had been for him, all of it.

That meant something somewhere deep down inside.

It didn't erase the resentment though.

And as shitty as his dad could be sometimes—inattentive and irritable and bitter—he had always _been_ _there_.

"You don't get to choose your family." He supplied.

"Sorry for piling all that on you. I get a little emotional when I'm drinking and I probably shouldn't have…" She trailed off with downcast eyes.

But her vulnerability was startling, beautiful in its own way and all of a sudden he found himself doing something he never thought he would.

Matt _kissed_ her.

And from somewhere through the flames, a brunette felt something vicious inside her _burn_ as she watched.

 _Can you shake it down on the sea and rain down the water  
Make it count, can't you see our hearts are breaking harder?  
Rain down, rain down the water  
Rain down, rain down the water  
Have you heard her screaming out?  
I'm burning the harbor_

-x-

 **A/N** : Okay, so is anyone proud of me for not taking three months to update? Anyone? ANYONE?!  
Because let's face it, you wouldn't have been wrong if you had no expectations of me updating any time soon but I've honestly been working on this chapter for a while. It's been done for about a week but _ugh_ , editing.

Really sucks the soul out of you, I gotta say.

Anyways, so? How was it? Did you guys think it was up to par with the rest? I feel like the last chapter was a little fillerish and I wanted to change that by giving into the drama queen in me that wanted to finally ruffle some feathers a little. **And what better way than… A KISS.**

Things are finally going to start heating up and trust me I've been waiting to write the juicy stuff just as much as you guys have been waiting to read it.

I gave more Tai in this and I'm not sorry, I love him. I love writing Matt but Tai is so much more fun. I've become more of a Tai fangirl than yamato, if I'm honest.

Okay, finally. THANK YOU YOU'RE ALL SO WONDERFUL AND WHAT HAVE I EVER DONE TO DESERVE YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT MY WORK AND REVIEW AND MAKE ME FEEL SO SPECIAL. **Seriously, you're the real MVP's**. You make writing for this fandom SO WORTH IT.

 **Thank you's as always** :

 **Cancercute** : I love reading your reviews and you in general. You have been through it all with me, from Polar Opposites until now and I honestly feel like we're friends (is that weird to say?) I am kind of busy with my wedding but lucky for me I've got a mom who was probably a wedding planner in another life so she's got everything covered. You're right there wasn't much romance last chapter but that really was to shine a light on Matt's friendship. I think there was a bit more romance in this one. I'm glad that I can make you fall more in love with Yamato, that means I must be doing something right! Lol. I feel like Ryo-Mimi romance is going to be something either people are going to absolutely hate or love, there won't be an in between. At least, that's how I hope to write it. Your words at the end of you review truly touched me and I couldn't be more honored. It goes without saying that you never let me down either, thank you for that! I hope to hear from you soon!

 **Angelxchild** : AWWW, thank you! I'm so glad you like this story so much, it means a lot! As I've said, writing the Taito bromance is one of my favorite things, I honestly think it would have been such a funny dynamic to watch once they got older. I wanted to make Taylor that love to hate girl so I'm happy it came across that way, she's really such a b-word. Thanks for reviewing and I hope the wait wasn't too long! Let me know what you thought of this chapter!

 **Supernaturalfan17980** : LOL, I literally didn't realize I had no Sora in that chapter until I finished it but you're right, she really wasn't needed. She was barely present in this chapter as well, I'll have to come up with some uses for her in the near future lol. I agree with you, Mimi didn't deserve it but it made for good drama haha. Thanks for the review, hope to hear from you soon!

 **Guest** : Thank you for the kind words of encouragement, it was so nice to hear your thoughts on the chapter. I'm glad that you liked the mimato friendship scene, I wanted to try and showcase that aspect of their relationship as much as I could to get across the point that they really do care about each other immensely with or without the romance part of it. I think you're right and I will definitely work on having Mimi's side of the friendship with Matt. I'm sorry I left out Sora, I honestly just forgot about her LOL, but she's kind of in this chapter (brief scene with Tai *wink wink*) Haha I think it would be nice for Matt to just take the plunge and see where it goes but that would be way too easy, gotta make him work for it a bit. Thank you for reading my story and for taking the time out to review, I hope to hear from you soon!

 **Pixieface** **Lust** : OH MY GOD! OF COURSE I REMEMBER YOU! We talked all the time and I loved our friendship, if you're back on the site we should definitely reconnect! It's okay that it wasn't a review of the story, I'm just so happy to hear from you! I'll PM you soon and if you do end up reading ASB let me know what you think! So happy to see you're back, hope to hear from you soon!

 **Isabel** **Black** : LOL, I think I basically channeled that exact same attitude when it came to Sora last chapter. It was so Mimato-Taito centric and I don't think I can apologize for that, sorry Sora! I feel you on Sorato ruining Sora for you because that happened to me too. Now I just kind of ignore the epilogue of 02 and act like it never happened. After all this time I still can't believe they would do that to Taiora. I will definitely give your writing a look, I actually haven't had time to read anything these days but I want to for sure read some of your stuff! I think the Ryo-Yamato confrontation will be fun to write but not nearly as fun as the passive aggressive Mimi-Zoe one (*evil laugh*) Haha, I'm glad you get the whole not wanting to ruin a good thing by becoming FWB, coz I'm trying to make the tug of war emotions about that as real as possible. So there was no speech to pump them all up, I tried to write a locker room scene but it just wasn't happening. I'm hoping no one is terribly disappointed that there was no actual game sequence in this chapter I was seriously blocked for it. The chapter became long enough without one anyway. Hopefully this chapter did come at a reasonably moderate pace if not fast enough and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, I look forward to reading your review and hearing all your thoughts on it! Thanks for all the love and support!

 **Angelic** **Moonlight** : Haha, I'm sure by the end of this story the queue to slap Taylor Fujiyama will be very long! Thank you so much for your kind words, I really did try my best to get that part of their relationship across as well as I could so I'm glad it translated well. LOL—I know what you mean, the burn is _sloooow_ , and I'm guessing the kiss with Zoe didn't help? Don't kill me! You know, I'm not huge on soccer at all so I actually had a friend help me write the scene in one of the earlier chapters with the game and also the one in the last chapter with all the sports talk. If I get anything wrong or mess something up related to the sport please let me know, I honestly don't know much about it at all. Thank you for the review, I always love hearing from you and I hope you like this chapter as well!

 **X3eloved** : Thank you so much for reviewing a few different chapters as you were reading, the feedback is appreciated very, very, very much! I love writing sassy Mimi, I just think she's so much more fun when she's a little cheeky but still sweet. Lol, you know Jyoura is a guilty pleasure of mine and I have no explanation for it but they just seemed to fit so well. I'm honestly so happy at how well received that one big jyoura scene was, it kind of makes me want to write more of them (you know, in the chapter Sora's actually IN lol) Matt is playing it a little too safe but he's never been he most outgoing guy so who could really blame him. It's the fallout over what would happen to the relationship that scares him the most and i want to get that across as realistically as possible so hopefully that's happening. And yes—you put it exactly right, she's the one good thing in his life that he doesn't want to mess up. Thank you for reading and for reviewing, it was truly a treat getting all your input and feedback! Your reviews were funny and made me smile. I hope this chapter is received just as well and I hope to hear from you soon!

 **Onceuponanoriginal** : Thank you for the review! I loved writing the Matt and Tai bromance so I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope to hear from you soon!

 **PheonixRising** : Aw, thank you so much for everything you said in your review it was truly moving. Literally, I always say this but it's honestly the truth, I can't believe people still read or remember polar opposites, like it literally amazes me and it makes me feel so good that my writing can do that to anyone. Seriously, you will make me cry with everything you said because it's all I ever really wanted my writing to be—inspirational and full of hope and if I can do that then I couldn't be happier.  
Lol, as for your review—yes, you're right, it's definitely A LOT lighter on the angst. I'm not as angsty anymore, but sometimes I find myself wanting to slip back into my old ways. You know, I hear this a lot especially from my P.O reviewers about the portrayal of Tai and how he's the one they like the best and honestly that makes me just as happy because I love writing Tai. I feel like if I wrote him as the main lead as oppose to a supporting character, I wouldn't be able to make him so likeable—I've tried. I've dabbled in writing a Tai-centric story in which he's the guy that has the story with the girl but I just couldn't do it right.  
I'm not sure if anyone would want Mimi and Ryo to be endgame, I'd probably get flogged or something if I went down that route but I probably wouldn't be able to pull it off anyway. As for Sora, she hasn't been doing much for me as far as this story goes but I'm going to try harder to work her in and make her relevant again. It's funny because Sora was so out of character in P.O but I got so much love for it. A lot of my reviewers said the same exact thing as you, how they liked that version of her a lot and it was nice to hear. I wanted to be a bit truer to her actual character in this story. Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement and everything you wrote. It was so amazing to read and it means the world to me. I hope you liked this chapter and I hope I'll hear from you very soon!

 **16** : You are so welcome for updating then and now I hope it wasn't too long of a wait and I hope you like this chapter! Let me know what you thought and as always, thank you for reading and reviewing!

Alright, **it's literally three AM** and I'm delirious as I'm posting this so I'm sorry for any spelling errors, anything I wasn't able to address or any mistakes in general. As always, all feedback is welcome so feel free to drop me a line or two (or more, I love long reviews) about the chapter as well as any questions, concerns, concrit—whatever your heart desires.

 **Thank you, as always, for sticking with me, reading and reviewing my work and for overall being the best ever!**

 **Song Credits** : _Burning the Harbor_ by _Kate Voegele_.

 **Exit Poll:** Should Matt have kissed Zoe?


	12. An Attempt to Tip the Scales

" ** _Slow Burn"_** _(def.): an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time._

 _-x-_

 **Chapter Twelve** : _An Attempt to Tip the Scales_

-x-

A smooth exit was not executed when one banged their knee on the coffee table, sufficiently knocking over a paper weight as well as a few coasters.

 _Why the hell do they even have those?_

She wondered irately, as she struggled with the headache pounding behind her eyes.

She tiptoed around the carpeted floor, looking for the other shoe she was missing. Had it been anything else, she would have left without it, but there was no way she was going to hazard the outdoors with one shoe.

That was just insane.

A quick glance over her shoulder, the cable box read _10:32AM_ and she wished she had gotten up earlier.

Sorely, she rubbed her knee as she dropped down to check under the sofa, blonde hair falling over her eyes in an annoying fashion.

She was about to give up when she saw something gold glint faintly in the sunlight—the buckle to her boot.

 _Success!_

Giddily, she slipped it on and with a quick pat down of her pockets to make sure she had everything he had come with, she made her way to the door.

She threw it open in relief, only to be met with wide brown eyes.

"Mimi…" She breathed, her own eyes dilating at the utterance.

The brunette shook off her shock quickly and the blonde had to give her a little credit for that—a lot of other girls wouldn't have been able to so easily. "I was just uh…" And her speech faltered under the scrutinizing gaze of her teammate.

Mimi just nodded slowly, "No worries, Zoe." She said briskly. "I'm here for Tai." And with that, she all but shoved past the lithe blonde to get inside the loft.

With Zoe still in the doorway, Mimi had only made it as far as the living room before the girls voice rang out. "Hey, we're cool…right?" Her voice sounded meek.

Nervous.

And Mimi pulled on a practiced smile before turning around. "Always, Z." She said.

It wasn't exactly truthful, the blonde could tell—it didn't take an expert. But she wasn't willing to push this conversation into an unpleasant place. "I, uh. I mean if I had known you'd be coming over I wouldn't have—

Mimi held up a hand, "It's not any of my concern, believe me." She said cordially. "Like I said, I'm here for my English Lit partner and _no_ _one_ else."

Zoe just nodded, "All right, so I'll see you at practice then?" She asked.

Mimi nodded. "Bye now." She waved a dismissive hand.

Zoe left the loft without another word and as soon as the door shut behind her, Mimi let the smile drop off her face. She felt like her insides with being run through by searing hot poker, over and over again.

She wasn't naïve enough to think that Zoe had been sneaking out this morning for any other reason but the obvious one.

And the thought alone would have had her retching up her breakfast had she been able to stomach it this morning.

She went over to the kitchen, taking a glass out of the cabinet and running it under cold water. She couldn't bring it to her lips, so she set it on the counter, gripping the edge of it so tightly her knuckles turned white.

 _In and out, in and out._

She coached herself to breathe, she felt like her entire world was being turned upside down. All of sudden, she had no explanation for the feelings she had or where they came from. She couldn't understand all of this aggression towards Zoe or the crushing feeling she got in her chest every time she thought of her.

And Matt.

 _Together_.

There was a part of her that knew exactly why this was happening, what all of these things meant. But there was a whole other part that refused to accept it.

Finally, she took a staggering breath and righted herself.

She held her head up, squeezed her eyes shut and convinced herself that it didn't matter.

None of it matters.

That if Matt wanted to (and probably already did) have sex with Zoe it was none of her business, just the same way it hadn't been her business when he had been with Lucy or anyone else that had come after the girl.

Matt was her friend, her best friend and for her entire life she had convinced herself that that relationship was bigger than anything else.

It had to be.

She took a long sip of the water she had previously left untouched, before smoothing a hand over her hair and walking out of the kitchen and towards the boys' rooms.

She was just about to make the left into Tai's room, when she heard the familiar squeak of a bedroom door opening.

 _Shit._

She stood in the middle of the impasse like a deer in headlights, frozen.

"Mimi?" He questioned, rubbing her sleep laden eyes for good measure.

Mimi steeled herself, "Good morning." She said, in a clipped tone.

And with that, she turned towards Tai's bedroom and threw open the door. The wild haired brunette was sleeping the way she had expected him to be. With one leg thrown over the covers, his arms hugging a pillow and what looked like drool coming out of the edge of his mouth.

He was absolutely _lovely_.

She forcefully slammed the door behind her, knowing full well it would take nothing less than a bull horn to rouse the boxer clad male.

"Tai." She called to him.

He didn't even move a muscle.

"Tai!" A little louder.

But to no avail.

She took him by the shoulder, jostling his heavy arm as best as she could—still, nothing. She tried tickling his neck and pulling on his ears, all that had earned her was a groan and a shift to his side. She tried holding his nose shut and prying his lids open, he barely even twitched. "God, Tai! Do I have to choke you?!" She practically yelled in frustration.

A light knock on the door came before it opened a crack. "You know, if you want him up, try telling him breakfast is ready." Matt suggested. "His mom was the one that told me when we first started living together, it works like a charm."

Mimi didn't even look in his direction. "Thanks, I'll try that." She said flatly.

And Matt, who could sense her unwelcoming attitude from three rooms away, slinked out of the doorframe and back into his own room.

Mimi let out a long sigh before leaning over him. "Hey Tai." She whispered into his ear. "Breakfast is ready."

He picked his head up so fast it knocked right into her nose, flinging her to the floor. Mimi held a hand to her nose, while Tai blinked rapidly, rubbing his head. "What the hell are you doing here?" He all but demanded. "And what the hell! I don't smell any breakfast!" He began pulling the covers over himself.

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare go back to sleep Taichi Kamiya not when I basically have a bloody nose from trying to wake you up!" Her voice came out in muffled screeches and she held her palm in front of her eyes, making sure there was no blood.

It didn't seem like he had done any damage, thankfully.

"Why not! And what the hell are you doing here! In case you were confused the guy you want some early morning action from is across the hall!"

That did it, she got to her feet and ceremoniously whacked him across the head with a closed fist. "You. Are. The. _WORST_. Partner. Ever!" Each word was punctuated by a hit. "We have less than a week to finish this Othello project and we haven't even _started_!"

"It's like seven in the morning, Mimi! Couldn't you have waited to come storming in here at a more decent hour."

"Try eleven, moron." She rolled her eyes. "I'm giving you five minutes to get up and get decent, the next time I come in here it's going to be with a bucket of ice water." She gave his shoulder a shove for good measure, before stomping out of the bedroom.

"Oy! At least turn out the lights!" He called after her.

And it only made her want to wring his neck.

Of course she should have known that it wouldn't have been her luck today if Matt wasn't sitting on a couch in the living room.

"Hey, I made you a cup of coffee." He gestured to the one next to his on the table.

"Thanks. But I think I'll go wait in the car." She said without looking at him.

Matt raised his eyebrows. "Why?" he asked, clearly confused.

She didn't have a real answer for that. "I'd like to hope that it would give Tai a sense of urgency if he knew." She shrugged. "And besides, I wouldn't want to cramp your style." She couldn't help the next part that came out of her mouth. "You know, in case Zoe comes back or something."

His blue eyes widened, "I, uh. Wait, _what_ …?" His mouth flopped open and she wished she hadn't said anything at all because everything was starting to sound _so_ _stupid_ out loud.

So what if he had been with her, he's allowed to be with whoever he wants. She had no claim over him.

"I ran into her on my way in. Guess it worked out because I'd forgotten the key wasn't under the mat anymore, saved you a trip to the door." She tucked her hair behind her ear, still keeping only the side of her face visible to him.

Matt rubbed the back of his neck, "I…Mimi. I don't really know what to say." He felt the color rising in his face.

He had never been so uncomfortable.

"You don't have to say anything."

"Well, I mean. I'm really sorry that you know…about that." He had never been angrier with himself for his lack of articulacy.

If ever there was a time to be able to say something a little more meaningful than what had just come out of his mouth, it was now.

"What are you apologizing for?" She let out a dry laugh. "I was just caught off guard, that's all. Who you have relations with—

He cringed at the insinuation coming out of her perfect, bow shaped lips. "No, I just mean that you had to be around for it. I know it would really irk me if I had to walk in on something like that, if the roles were reversed." He told her honestly.

In fact, he'd be inclined to give the guy a black eye on sight, purely off of instinct.

Just the thought had him seeing red.

"Whatever. Like I was saying, it's not my business."

He was at a loss for what to say next, he knew there was no right thing.

"I was really hammered, I don't even think we—

"Please, Matt. If you want to do me a favor, just spare me the details." It was practically pleadingly.

He felt really bad all of a sudden.

He had no real recollection of anything past the bonfire, he knew there had been some aggressive making out. He remembered taking a cab back to his apartment and he was pretty sure what his intentions must have been but it was all a blur. He was unsure whether or not they had actually had sex or if maybe Zoe had just ended up passing out beside him. Regardless, seeing the look of pure dejection on Mimi's face right now made him regret any and all of it.

No matter what conflicting thoughts he had about her, one thing was always certain. He hated seeing her hurt.

"I wasn't trying to upset you, Mimi." He swore. "I'm honestly sorry that I have, I won't ever bring any of this—

Mimi had never been so happy to see Tai grumbling down the hall. There was no distraction more welcome than him, and she made a promise to herself to go easy on him today out of sheer gratitude.

"C'mon, princess." He said gruffly. "I'll drive. But you're buying me breakfast."

Mimi gave him the prettiest smile she could muster. "You've got yourself a deal." She beamed.

And the sight of her smile softened the expression on Tai's face. "Let's get a move on." He threw an arm around her shoulders.

"See ya later, Matt." Tai had waved over his shoulder.

Mimi hazarded a glance over her own. "Bye, Matt." It was the first time she had met his eyes all morning.

And his gaze penetrated straight to her soul.

"This isn't over, Mimi."

-x-

"You know, it feels odd to say but I don't think you're taking this very seriously."

They had been running lines for almost two hours and Mimi had managed to get only one scene all the way correct.

Tai couldn't have been more surprised, considering she was usually a natural.

She rubbed a hand over her face and it was the first time he really noticed her appearance. He wasn't sure if he had ever seen her disheveled before, Mimi was always at the very least presentable if not consistently stunning.

But today, her hair looked limp and there were dark smudges under her eyes, her lips looked dry with prominent frown lines canvassing them unnaturally.

Like she hadn't slept all night.

"Hey, is everything okay with you?" He moved to take the play book out of her hands.

She let out a long sigh.

He lowered the book from her grip and put a hand on her arm. "Look, we won't be able to get anything done if you're not focused. Just come out with it and so we can move on." He wasn't incredibly endearing but at least he was honest.

Mimi shook her head, "It's nothing." She said.

"We're not going to do this, are we?" He asked, with slight annoyance. "You're not too good at the whole hiding your emotions thing, so why don't you just drop it and talk to me."

"Well, gee, Tai. When you offer so graciously how can I refuse?" She rolled her eyes. "But I'm seriously alright, just tired. I'll get it together."

Tai shook his head, "Alright, princess. Let's just call it like it is, because as much as everyone thinks I'm completely oblivious to everything that goes on, I'm actually not. I just generally don't care enough to get involved." He shrugged.

"So why are you now?" She deadpanned.

"Key word: _Care_. And I do, about you." He grinned. "So let me take a shot in the dark here and you just nod your head if I'm in the ball park. Matt brought home Malibu Barbie and you're pissed." As the words left his mouth, he saw a range of emotions flick across her face perceptibly.

She wanted to smack him for reducing her inner turmoil which was _so_ _much_ _bigger_ than that to something so stereotypical and predictable. But she also had to acknowledge that if she was honest with herself, that's what it boiled down to.

Tai nodded, "I get it, and don't bother denying it now because I won't believe you." He said seriously.

"Aren't you even going to as how I know?" She asked instead.

"No, coz you're a girl and girls have like a sixth sense for this sort of thing." He partially muttered. "Anyway, my point is that Ishida isn't really the type to have one night stands He was probably super plastered and couldn't tell his big toe from his di—

"Oh my god, Tai!" She shoved her hands over her ears. "You are _so_ _not_ helping, please let's just drop it and get back to this project." She begged.

"Sorry. All I'm saying is he's confused, but I wouldn't take that as a reason to hate him." He defended. "Not sure if you've noticed, but he isn't exactly very in tune with his _feelings_ , cut him some slack—he probably had no idea what he did would even effect you."

She knew that Tai was just trying to help, but the truth was that he really wasn't doing much at all. She appreciated it, but it was so unnecessary at this point. "Honestly, I was just caught off guard. It's kind of weird because I see her all the time and now it's like I know this super intimate thing about her and it involves one of my best friends. Just wasn't prepared, that's all. I need a little time to process, but I promise I'm fine." She said with a smile.

Tai leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her.

Mimi let out a small laugh, hugging him back. "What's this for?" She asked, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

"Just in case you're not."

-x-

Monday crept up the way it always did, dragging along dark and ominously.

Tuesday had been much of the same, bringing with it dreary skies and drizzles.

And by the time Wednesday rolled around, Mimi felt like her body was going to collapse.

Cheerleading practice had been hell, and the week was only halfway through.

Mimi soon realized that her unofficial declaration of war in the form of incessant flirting with Ryo Akiyama did not go unnoticed by the raven haired co-captain. And while she thought she had been prepared for whatever Taylor could throw at her, she was wrong.

The girl was a master of guerilla warfare and underhanded tactics.

She had home field advantage and an army of subordinates.

While Mimi had herself and her resolve.

Needless to say, the scales weren't tipped in her favor.

"Tachikawa! You're a step behind! Pick it up!" Mimi bit her tongue as Taylor barked out orders.

She _had_ been a step behind, but it was only because she was all dead limbs and sore muscles.

Taylor rounded around the girls, stopping in front of the brunette. "You know, it didn't have to be like this." She hissed venomously. "You should have stayed in line, Freshmen. Played your part—Sophia had been right when she said you have what it takes to make captain." A malicious grin spread over her face.

Mimi fought to keep her face devoid of any emotion, "Because I'm good." She squared her shoulders.

"Tch." Taylor scoffed. "Take a look around you, Tachikawa—we're nationally ranked, everyone on this squad is _good_." She rolled her eyes. "Takes more than good to be a leader, to be captain, and I just don't think you have _it_."

Mimi held her position, "Well it's lucky for me you won't be here much longer, isn't it?" She said sweetly.

Her brows furrowed, "Watch your step, Tachikawa." Her eyes flashed dangerously, mirroring the indigo night sky in their depth and darkness. "Who knows, maybe you won't be either." She pushed past the brunette with a shoulder, successfully knocking Mimi, who had been on one foot, off balance.

Mimi felt her ankle give out from under her, as she fell onto her bottom with an ungraceful thud. She let out a hiss as a sharp pain shot up from her ankle and through her leg. By this time, half of the team had turned around to stare at her and Mimi fought back tears of frustration and embarrassment (along with a little pain) She went down to rip off her shoe to further examine the extent of the fall.

"Wait!" Sophia called out.

Mimi froze, hands lingering above her sneaker.

"Don't take off your shoe, you need to keep the bone in place in case it's fractured or broken." Sophia said calmly, rushing over to the brunette.

Mimi squeezed her eyes shut, taking sharp breaths in through her nose. "Look, just trust me okay?" Sophia leaned in front of her. "Keiko! Get a bag of ice from the locker room! Suzuhara, run out and get the sports medic, he should be out on the field with the boys! Izumi, see if you can get a hold of the school nurse just in case!" She shouted out orders over her shoulder to the other girls.

"Mimi, just try to lean back a little. On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?"

Mimi opened one eye, "It's uh, it's pretty sharp right now." She sucked in a breath. "Probably like a seven, maybe." She felt like her sock was constricting blood flow at this point, her ankle felt like it was on fire.

Suzuhara came running back in, the sports medicine physician and athletic trainer on her heels. Behind them a wild mop of brown hair sped in, practically barreling through the gym full of girls.

He was beside her before the doctors were, looking over her with worry etched all over his face. "Are you okay? What happened?" He asked her.

Mimi struggled a nod, "I'm okay. I just uh." Her eyes cut to the raven haired co-captain who wasn't even feigning concern. "Lost my balance, that's all."

"Mister Kamiya, if you could please give us a little space we would like to get a look at the girl." A controlled voice said from behind Tai. "Kindly remove yourself, I can assure you your girlfriend will not be in any immediate danger."

Tai, red-faced but unperturbed, lifted himself up. "For the record, she's not my girlfriend." He announced casually, before standing off to the side. "I don't do girlfriends."

The medic, who had wiry glasses that reminded her of Jyou's and a stern face, examined her ankle for a few minutes. "May I?" He lifted her foot, signaling to the shoe.

"Yeah, that's fine." He loosened her laces. "The good news is, it is mostly likely not a break. The bone, from a physical examination standpoint, seems to be intact. I believe it's probably just a sprain, however, due to the swelling it might be best to get an x-ray." He told her. "In fact, I would strongly recommend getting one right away—further exacerbating the ankle might lead to more serious damage. Would you like me to call an ambulance?" He reached for his cellphone.

Mimi's face paled at the mention of an ambulance, she shook her head.

"I'll take her." Tai offered quickly.

"I'll come with you." Sophia said.

He looked at her with marked confusion. "I'm her co-captain. I have a vested interest in her ability to use that ankle, you know." She rolled her eyes.

Tai just shrugged. "Works for me." He went over to Mimi. "Alright, easy does it." He carefully lifted her up, making sure she didn't put any weight on the injured angle. "Grab her other side, Soph?" He requested.

The brunette came over quickly, supporting half of Mimi's weight on her shoulders. "I'll drive."

-x-

Two hours in the emergency room and a few x-rays later, everyone was assured that no bones were broken, instead it was just a pretty bad sprain.

She had been advised to avoid any physical exertion (meaning cheerleading) for two to three weeks, along with nightly icing and keeping a support wrap on it for stability.

Tai had insisted they give her crutches, argued with the doctor for nearly thirty minutes before Mimi was able to convince him that she would be a bigger danger to herself on them than without.

He couldn't deny that.

Mimi made sure to thank Sophia for driving her here, for staying throughout and for her overall concern.

Maybe she had a friend on the squad after all...

Sora had gotten to the emergency room in time to pick her up, and she received a scolding the entire ride back for not informing the redhead sooner.

She was mid lecture when Mimi's phone cut her off, the brunette silently thanked whoever interrupted this with their impeccable timing.

Matt's name flashed on the screen.

"Hello?" She answered, hating herself for sounding nervous.

" _What happened? Are you okay? Tai JUST told me, I'm running out to the car now are you at Tokyo General or—_

"Matt, it's okay. I'm okay. I'm out." She let out a giggle at his frantic questioning. "It was just a bad sprain." She promised him.

" _How? Are you sure you're okay? Did they check out everything, what if they missed something? Was Joe on rotations? I'm going to call and ask him to reexamine you."_

"They were super thorough, it is honestly nothing but a sprain." She told him seriously. "I'm okay, Matt. I _swear_."

She heard him let out a breath on the other side. _"You had me worried."_

"Really? I couldn't tell." She said playfully.

" _I just don't want to hear your name in the same sentence as the word hospital, ever again."_

"Aye, aye, captain. No more hospital trips for me." She said good-naturedly.

" _Get some rest, Tachikawa. I'll talk to you later."_

"Thanks for checking in, Yama. Sorry I worried you." She said apologetically.

" _Ah, it's fine. I'm just relieved to hear you're okay."_

-x-

The last thing Mimi had been expecting to find was Ryo Akiyama hanging out outside of her dorm building, flowers hanging limply out of a hand.

Sora looked over at the brunette. "I'll give you two some time." She grinned.

"Where are you going?"

"I've actually been meaning to drop something off at the loft, I'll be back in a bit. See what he has to say, Meems. It can't hurt." She put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Mimi nodded and Sora signaled for Ryo to come over to the car.

"What do you have to drop off anyway?"

Sora chuckled, "It's kind of a long story really but Tai's had this weird lucky charm he's carried around on game days forever—he'd kill me if I told anyone what it was—but anyway, the day of homecoming he wanted me to hold on to it, never told me why. Just that he'd want it back if they won." She shrugged.

Mimi's face softened, "You guys are like the weirdest best friends in the history of best friends." She laughed.

Ryo tapped on the window, "Well, I'll see you in a bit. Drive safe." Mimi smiled as Sora unlocked the door.

"I will, make sure you take care. I won't be gone long, please don't strain yourself and I'm serious, Meems. You have to be super careful, alright?"

"I will."

"And when I get back, you're going to tell me what actually happened."

Mimi raised a brow, "What?"

"Oh come on, I know you better than to believe you just lost your balance. I want the full story, M. _Details_."

"Fine, but it involves the bitch formerly known as Taylor Fujiyama."

"Formerly?"

"Yeah, because I'm going to _ruin her_." And with that, she gave Sora a wave and let Ryo help her out of car.

Ryo steadied Mimi's balance, putting a strong arm around her waist as she slid one over his shoulders for support. "What are you doing here?" She asked softly.

He grinned down at her, "What, not happy to see me?" He asked.

Mimi smiled despite herself. "It's not that, I'm just surprised that's all." She told him.

"I heard about what happened at practice, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He explained. "Brought you flowers." He gestured to the hand that wasn't wrapped around her waist.

"I can see that, thank you."

She hobbled her way into the building, for the first time taking the elevator instead of the stairs. She never realized how awkward elevator rides could be when you didn't know what to say to the other person. In truth, she was flattered Ryo had come so quickly but it confused her. This week had felt like a lifetime and it was only Wednesday night, at this rate she wasn't sure if she would make it to Sunday.

When they finally got to her room, he gently set her down on the bed. "You know, everyone is treating me like an invalid and while it's nice you guys all care so much but so unnecessary. It's an _ankle sprain_ , not a death sentence." She rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, but it isn't everyday someone gets carried out on a stretcher during practice."

"Oh my god! Is that what people think! I did not get carried out on anything—well except maybe by Tai but that's not the point—I went to the hospital for a precautionary x-ray!"

She felt her face enflaming over the fact that half the school thought that she had basically been carted off in an ambulance and all it was a damn ankle sprain.

Ryo chuckled, sitting down at the foot of her bed.

"What?" She asked, when she noticed his green gaze lingering on her.

"Nothing, you're just kinda cute when you're flustered. That's all."

Mimi looked away, "It's been a _looong_ day." She tilted her head back, closing her eyes.

"Is there anything I can do? Anything you need before I go?"

Mimi opened an eye to look at him, "You can stay for a bit. Just hang." She suggested a little shyly.

Ryo's face lit up in front of her eyes, "Yeah, definitely. For sure." He cursed himself for being so quick to answer, for getting all tongue tied around her.

Who was he?

Since when did he girls make him nervous like this?

"So, tell me something. Anything really."

"Like what?"

"Anything that has nothing to do with this stupid, god awful, day."

He was quiet, contemplative as he considered her words.

The silence stretched on for minutes, before he spoke again. "I can tell you a story, if you want. If that'll make you feel better?"

Mimi nodded happily, clapping her hands lightly at his offer. "I love stories!" She said excitedly.

He laughed at her childish elation over something so simple.

"The first time I ever picked up a soccer ball, I was six years old. First grade gym glass—I remember it pretty vividly too because I had never felt something so powerful before. I mean, the second I started kicking it up the grass I felt like this was something I had been made to do. It was meant for me."

Mimi listened to him, at first distractedly but as he continued, the emotions rising in his eyes, she couldn't stop herself from staring. He was so immersed in the memory, it was a little astounding to see someone so incredibly taken by something that was for all intents and purposes, inanimate.

"I think everyone else knew it too, I don't know. The gym teacher told my dad I was a natural talent, that he would be crazy not to put me in pee wee. My dad signed me up the same afternoon and I can't tell you how scared I'd been seeing all the other kids that were there." He stopped, looking over at her. "Terrified, really. Because while I'd had fun that day, I had no idea what it meant to be on a team or how to actually play the sport. I didn't want to go but my dad wouldn't hear any of it, I guess he just really believed in me." He didn't sound so convinced, but it didn't seem to matter to him either way.

Briefly, she considered the dynamic between Ryo and his father—if it had been cemented on this very day.

"I didn't wanna let him down, you know? I just really wanted him to be proud." He said, his voice softer now. "But I couldn't stop my hands from shaking and I couldn't stop myself from being nauseous, or the room from spinning."

Mimi shifted closer until she was barely inches from him, "What, what did you…" She moved her hand over his.

He flashed her a reassuring smile, "My uh my mom came in, she just… she always _knew_." His smile grew a little melancholy and in a soul crushing way Mimi realized that most likely the reason Ryo never saw his mom wasn't because of a divorce…

"She said I didn't have to go out there if I didn't want to, that my dad would understand and it would be okay. But then, she told me about how much they both believed in me—how proud they already _were_ and that no matter what happened from this moment on, nothing would change that." He rubbed a hand over his hair, "She promised me that if I did decide to join the league, she would a _lways_ be out there with me, that I'd never be alone. Not for a single game _._ "

She saw it on his face, the way his the corners of his mouth turned down into a painful grimace. Inadvertently, his grip on her hand tightened and she squeezed his hand back. "Ryo…" She whispered.

"My mom never broke her promises, not to me. And she was _always there_." He stopped for a second, taking a deep breath. "Until, one day she wasn't." His voice broke and Mimi thought her heart might have too.

"I knew something was wrong, I felt it the entire time. That game stretched an eternity, I remember being benched early on because I couldn't stop looking into the bleachers. I must've scanned every inch of the stands a hundred times and all I could think about was how my mother had never kept me waiting a day in my life. That something bad had to have happened for her not to be here right now."

She couldn't stop the pricking at her eyes, her throat from constricting. Silently, she cursed herself for being so weak—so emotional. That right now, she should be strong because tears were the last thing he needed.

But it was no use.

They came anyway, no matter how hard she tried to will them away.

"Car accident. Ran a red light… running late to my game… a semi-truck… _DOA_." The words came out in rasps, his voice thick with unshed emotion.

Before she could stop herself, his arms were around his neck and she had him pressed against her body. "I am so sorry." She whispered over and over again.

She was sorry for all of it, for his mom and the fact that he had to experience such a profound loss at such a young age.

But she was sorry for her own behavior too, for misjudging him, for thinking he was something that he wasn't.

Ryo rubbed a hand over her back, "It's okay, it was a really long time ago." He said into her shoulder.

She made sure to swipe away her tears before pulling herself away from him. "Why did you… why did you tell me that?" She asked him sincerely.

He gave her half a grin, "I want you to know me, Mimi." He said, green eyes shining. "And I want to know you." He reached over, brushing a finger down the length of her face.

"But… this was so personal."

"I know, but I trust you."

Mimi felt her eyes widen, "You, you do?" She asked him.

He nodded, "Why shouldn't I?"

"I…I don't know." She answered. "I wouldn't blame you if you didn't." She felt really bad about wanting to use him for anything.

Felt bad for mistrusting him for no reason.

He let out a small chuckle, "Look, I didn't come here to make you sad." He said. "Or to pressure you into anything. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. As for all the stuff about my mom, yeah it's shitty and I guess you never actually get through something like that completely, I still miss her everyday but eventually, it did get easier. Once I was old enough, I realized that no matter where she was— _is_ , she's still always with me just like she promised." He put a gentle hand behind her neck, bringing her closer to him.

She closed her eyes as she felt him press his lips against her forehead, "Shouldn't I be the one comforting you?" She laughed, wiping at a stray tear that had leaked out of the corner of her eyes.

"Nah, you've had a rough day."

-x-

Saturday night was universally considered to be date night and on this particular Saturday Mimi could say that was true.

She had a date with a rather handsome, green eyed, soccer player whom she'd dangled on a string long enough.

It was about time they give this a chance.

She had been teetering on the edge of saying no, something didn't feel quite right. But then, well…then, she ran into Zoe at the loft and Taylor practically broke her leg at practice and then…

She and Ryo had finally connected, really and truly connected on something that was so much deeper than athletic mixers and fundraisers and dimly lit nightclubs.

He was real.

Not made up of preconceived notions and a bad boy reputation. He was just so much more than that now.

The night he had come to see her, things had changed between them—at least for her. Not exponentially, or in a way that was incredibly profound but still, there was a shift in their dynamic that had led her to believe that she could have something with this boy.

What that something would be, she still wasn't entirely sure of. But still, it was worth exploring, besides he was hot and talented and seemingly decent. The fact that he was her arch nemesis' ex-boyfriend and current love interest was just the cherry on top.

Plus, if it helped shake that blonde monkey she had on her back that kept her all out of sorts, then even better.

Sora came into the dorm room as Mimi was doing a one last mirror check. "Wow, look at you." The redhead said with a small whistle. "Who's the lucky guy?" She set her backpack down on the floor and shrugged out of her leather jacket.

Mimi smoothed out a loose ringlet, "Ryo." She said, smudging on a little more lip gloss before turning away from the mirror.

Sora seemed surprised, but not shocked. "He was persistent, wasn't he?" She mused.

The brunette just shrugged a shoulder. "Do you think I'm making a mistake?" She asked.

Sora tilted her head, pensive for a moment. "Not necessarily." She admitted finally. "Do you?"

Mimi sat back on her bed with a sigh. "I don't know anymore. You know at first I was so set on not giving him the time of day, I really thought I had him figured out. But he surprised me by not being exactly who I thought he was. But then somewhere in there, it also became about this weird power struggle with Taylor and I just really don't want _that_ to be inadvertently the reason I'm doing this. I'm…I'm just confused." Finally, she let out a breath with a resigned sigh.

Sora sat across from Mimi, one leg tucked under her while the other dangled off the bed. "Do you think it would be easier for you if you knew how he felt?" She asked gently.

Under other circumstances, the brunette probably would have answered 'yes.' But when Mimi thought about everything he had already said, their conversations and his recent actions. And how he had already admitted that he didn't have eyes for anyone but her. Telling her about his mother, about how he trusted her.

There wasn't much left unsaid about his feelings towards her.

"I…I think I already do."

Sora smiled, "And do you believe him?" She asked.

"I….yeah, I mean I honestly have no reason not to." She said sincerely. "He hasn't done a _single_ _thing_ wrong since we started talking. He's been perfect, really and I've been such a bitch sometimes but he never gave up, you know? He's waited for a while just to…" She didn't feel like finishing the sentence, the more she talked about him, the more unsure she felt about everything.

It wouldn't be fair to Ryo if she went into this with ulterior motives.

"Mimi, is there something else that's stopping you? Something you're not necessarily telling me?"

There it was, everything coming full circle, bringing her right back to the beginning.

And she knew Sora knew exactly what that _something_ was. She wasn't hesitant because of Ryo's reputation or because of Taylor or because she thought she couldn't trust him.

None of that stuff mattered anymore.

The real reason she was so conflicted had nothing to do with Ryo Akiyama himself.

Piercing blue eyes flashed in front of her.

Her shoulders slumped, "Did you know Matt slept with Zoe the night of the bonfire?" She was shit at keeping secrets, especially from Sora and she needed to talk about this.

Maybe once she got it out, she would get over it.

The redheads eyebrows shot up, "You're serious?" She asked, amber eyes wide.

"I am." Mimi nodded.

"How, how did you even know that?" She couldn't imagine Matt being so forthcoming with information like that, especially to Mimi.

The brunette let out a dry laugh, "Well, I kinda walked in while she was walk of shaming it out." She said with a shake of her head.

"Oh my God, this just keeps getting worst and worst." Sora threw her head back with a groan. "Did you like talk to her? How do you know she and Matt had…?"

"We didn't really talk much. It was mostly me being a bitch." She admitted. "And trust me Sora, _I_ _know_."

Sora tugged at the ends of her hair, "It's just not like Matt, I guess I'm just surprised. Does it bother you though, that he slept with her?"

Mimi was silent for a while, nibbling off her lip gloss absentmindedly. "I… I never thought it would." She spit her lip out contemplatively. "But something about seeing it, it just…" She wasn't even sure she could put into words what she had felt like in that moment.

The redhead put a comforting hand over her knee. "Mimi, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if you…liked him. He's one of the best people I know." She said in the softest voice she could manage.

"No, it's not that. I…it _can't_ be _that_. It's not." Mimi shook her head vehemently.

"Hey, listen. It's going to be fine. Look, if you like him—

"Sora, stop, seriously. _Please."_ Mimi cut her off with a panicked shrill. "God, do you even realize what you're saying? Do you really think that things could ever be that simple between him and me? That he would be some fleeting crush that I'd just get over—no. This is _Matt_." She felt like she couldn't breathe, her thoughts were scattered and manic. "It wouldn't be just ' _like'_ if I felt something for him, Sora. I would feel _everything_ and it would _consume me_." Her voice was strained and raw as it tore from her throat.

It was like being overwhelmed by a wave and suddenly she was drowning.

"I…I'm not ready for this."

Sora had only just opened her mouth when Mimi's cell phone rang through the silent room.

Ryo Akiyama's name flashed on the screen.

Mimi pushed steadying breath into her lungs, "I have to go. I'll see you when I get back." She pulled a hand through her hair before getting up.

"Mimi, I'm sorry."

"Me too."

-x-

 **A/N** : **Sooo, what do you guys think**! Okay, so I had a little trouble with this chapter—not really vision wise but details. It's actually quite different than what I originally had, I also cut out a scene that I'm unsure if I should have left or not. I do that a lot, so maybe at the end of this story I'm going to have like a separate fic for deleted scenes just for anyone who wants to read them. (It was a mimato scene Lol, perhaps that should have been left unsaid :P) Things are starting to move faster now, and that's on purpose. I had always meant for the first ten or so chapters to be a really slow build up and I think maybe that's why some of the chapters felt very filler-ish. But it's going to pick up some from this point on.

The scene with Ryo and Mimi was actually something I hadn't planned on ever incorporating but…it happened and it actually made me SAD reading it while I was editing. My goal is to make Ryo so lovable and relatable that by the end of this you guys are SO TORN between him and Matt that you don't know who you want Mimi to end up with.

Yes, I'm evil. Sorry for that in advance 0:)

Hope everyone enjoyed all the Taichi I put in this chapter, coz I sure as hell loved writing him.

 **Also** , for anyone confused: **DOA** means **Dead on Arrival** —it's usually meant to signify that the person was already dead when they got to the hospital (or in this case, when the cops showed up to the scene of the accident)

I feel like I'm forgetting something…if you have any questions of need clarification please don't hesitate to ask.

 **ON TO THE THANK YOU'S!** Because you're all so amazing it actually still blows my mind to this day that so many people read and appreciate my work. So humbling, I'm so grateful to you guys. I don't think I'll ever be able to express how much.

 **Absolutelfaith** : LOL, I'm so glad you enjoyed the little BleachxDigi crossover. It took all I had not to add some IchiRuki in there, but I had to hold myself back because if I would've started in with them this really would have turned into a crossover. I honestly love Rangiku and I think it might have been you who suggested a scene between her and Tai and I couldn't resist.  
As for Matt and Zoe…well, I guess I'll just wait for your reaction to what happened just now lol. The expression was correct, but I think turning down Ryo would be a little too easy—we have to make Matt work for it a little bit ESPECIALLY now. Haha. I hope you liked this chapter and I would love to hear your thoughts on it! Thank you so much for your continued support!

 **Angelxchild** : Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, I always look forward to your feedback. I'm so happy you liked the chapter, it was honestly one of my favorites to write of the whole story—it came together so easily (isn't it just great when that happens) Tai is always so fun for me, I love his character so much he's probably my favorite (Sorry Yama!) Haha, the build up is super slow, but it's going to start picking up from here on so stay tuned! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always I hope to hear from you soon!

 **Scripturiens** : YOUR REVIEWS GIVE ME LIFE haha. I love reading what you have to say because it's always insightful and usually on the money. I actually have a really bad habit of rambling in general and it definitely translates into my writing. You should see what these chapters look like before the editing LOL. I know what you mean about being very in tune with Mimi's emotions because I also tend to be that way, especially with the female leads (that I like anyway) I'm glad you started warming up to Ryo as the story progressed though because that was what I was going for. Hopefully after this chapter you like him a little more and more.  
I'm always a little nervous about updating because I never want any of the scenes to feel forced or unnatural, so to hear you say that they don't is relieving—thank you!  
LOL, the kiss was something I had planned for a long time. I honestly love Zoe—something about how spunky she is always makes me want to incorporate her in my stories. Originally, I had an idea of her just being the basic anti-heroine—the girl you love to hate because of her opposition to Mimi but it was too hard for me to put her in that role because of my fondness of her character. Sorry, there I go rambling again lol. Anyway, I hope this chapter was worth the wait and deserving of your excitement. Like I said before, I had trouble with keeping and deleting so I'm just a little anxious about posting this.  
Like I said, thank you so much for your feedback and hopefully I'll get to hear your thoughts on this chapter!

 **Isabel** **Nightray** : LOL, I always update really late at night so I'm going to take a guess and say this chapter caught you at work too haha. Sorry in advance if it did.  
I love Tai so much and I love writing him, as you can probably tell since this chapter was pretty Tai heavy. Lol, i love hearing that youre starting to love Ryo beyond your will because that's seriously what I want everyone to feel. I want this to be a hard decision not just for Mimi but also for all of us too! I like how you dubbed the hatred for anyone other than Mimi with Matt 'the sora effect' that's gold. I was hoping no one would miss the game scene too much because I honestly really didn't feel like writing it in, it was too complicated for me lol. The Michi friendship is an angle I love exploring, especially because of how much I love both characters. Oh right, your work is in Spanish, that's why I was never able to check it out! Bummer!  
Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter. Your reviews make my day, and just the way you're usually grinning at work while reading the chapter I'm literally the same way reading your reviews. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement!

 **Angelic** **Moonlight** : HAHA, you are not despicable at all and I think that's what everyone (including me) wants to happen. For Ryo to some how become so hateable that you don't care he loses the girl. It would be too easy if it was that way though, wouldn't it? Tai is and always has been my comic relief character because my writing always tends to be heavy on the drama and angst. LOL, your comment Taylor made me laugh, I'm sure she didn't win any points this chapter either.  
Thank you for your review and for your positivity and encouragement. I am trying really hard to update as regularly as I can without compromising quality so I'm glad it's coming together. Did you finish an unexpected change? I think I have to read the last chapter then, if I haven't! Thank you for your continued support and I hope to hear from you soon!

 **Guest (1):** LOL when you said Mimi is going to cut a b-tch (insert crying-laugh emoji), that was hilarious. I'm trying to keep the mimato interactions as spaced out as possible because I don't want there to be too much just yet—gotta keep the buildup slow! Thank you so much for the review and for your continued support—it means everything to me! I hope this chapter was okay and I'll hear your thoughts on it soon!

 **96bittersweetblackcat** : Thank you so much for you review and for your kind words, truly they mean so much to me. I'm so happy you're enjoying my work! I hope this chapter finds you well and that it was worth the anticipation! Thank you again for your continued support and interest and I hope to hear from you soon!

 **Kikixoxo** : the next update is… NOW. I'm glad that you liked the kiss if only because it added a little bit of spice to the story. I imagine the kiss to be somewhat of a catalyst for things to come. I hope this chapter answered some of your questions (maybe confused you more, LOL) and hopefully you enjoyed reading it! Please let me know what you thought of the latest update! Thank you for your continued support and encouragement!

 **Cancercute** : AHHH, I love reading your reviews. They are seriously such a treat because you always just get what I'm trying to convey! I think its sufficient to say that you were right about the last scene getting things going ;) Hopefully you don't hate me too much for the beginning. If you thought Ryo was vulnerable before…well, I think there's a new definition for it after this chapter haha. I'm honestly really trying to make Ryo a contender here because I don't want it to be easy for Mimi lol.  
LOL, the last part of your review made me smile—it's so true. I feel like I'm supposed to be so wise and mature now that I'm getting married but here I am writing digimon fanfiction in my spare time! It would be a little sad if it didn't love it so much! I don't think I'll ever be able to let go of this fandom lol. Thank you so much always supporting me and sticking with me through all my mimato endeavors. You're awesome. Hopefully this chapter was up to par and worth the wait, let me know what you thought!

 **Guest (2):** Aww, thank you so much for your kind words and positivity. It means the world to me and I am completely undeserving of such high praise! I hope this chapter was up to standards and you liked it. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

 **Exit** **Poll** : I've been fiddling with an idea I have to incorporate Koushiro/Izzy into the story, let me know if you would be interested in seeing more of his character.


	13. Hanging by a Moment

" **Slow Burn"** _(def.): an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time._

-x-

 **Chapter Thirteen** : _Hanging by a Moment_

-x-

Mimi knew that her frame of mind was probably not the best at the moment, and she was a little peeved that she wasn't being her normal overly cute, daringly charming self. All due to her scattered thoughts and the conversation with Sora that had left her just about shaken to the core.

Of course, it also didn't help matters any that Ryo looked devilishly handsome tonight.

She couldn't help but notice the subtle changes to his appearance, his normally mussed brown hair was freshly cute and parted to one side. He had on a forest green shirt that bringing out the earthy tones in his eyes. And the grin he would flash every now and then would be the death of her.

"I thought we would go to this new sushi restaurant that opened up in Minato."

"The one across from _Narisawa_?" Her eyes widened.

He looked at her a little quizzically, "Yeah. How'd you know?" He asked.

"Because it's _all_ Taylor's talked about the whole week." She started. "On and on about how they're _so exclusive_ and already booked through the year and only open to celebrities and how she couldn't even get them to give her a seat _at the_ _bar_." She couldn't control the giddy tone her voice took on.

 _Score._

She would make sure to post pictures everywhere and make a grand gesture of telling anyone who would listen about the fabulous time she was about to have here.

It would be absolutely glorious.

 _Take that Taylor Fujiyama!_

Ryo nodded, "Oh, alright then." He shrugged a shoulder.

"If it's as hard to get into as she says, how'd you manage to get a reservation?" She wondered.

"I actually had no idea it was so exclusive." He said honestly. "My dad knows the owner, it's basically like having a permanent reservation." The answer was as nonchalant as his stance and she knew better than to be surprised.

Ryo's father was Ryuuken Akiyama, after all.

She could have imagined all of Japan would be his one and only son's playground.

"Ah, so limited effort was required."

"Just a phone call." He winked, parking his sleek sports car along the street.

"Glad I'm such an easy date."

He chuckled. "Getting the table was easy. The girl?" He raised his brows at her. "Well, that's _still_ up for debate, isn't it?"

Mimi felt herself smiling at him, she couldn't help it.

Minato was lit up with colors and people alike and Mimi had forgotten how nice it was to be in the heart of Tokyo. She had missed the energy of a big city, the lights and sounds and how alive it was.

And while New York had been great, there was really no better city in the world it wasn't home. The pride she felt being back here was almost overwhelming.

They walked into the tall establishment where a white gloved maître'd was standing at the host stand. "Hello, how may I help you?"

As she caught a glimpse of the guests inside, and even in her best black dress—the one that made her feel magnificent _—_ she felt a bit underdressed.

"Ryo Akiyama." He said, all confidence and no hesitancy

Immediately his tone changed, a cheesy smile replacing the cold condescension that had been there a few moments ago. "Ah! The young heir himself." He said happily. "We promised Mister Yukimura we would take very, _very_ good care of you and…" His gaze fell on the brunette.

"Mimi Tachikawa." She smiled elegantly.

"She is very lovely." He mentioned, before bowing and holding an arm out towards the dining hall.

The lighting was dim for ambience, candles in lantern shaped holders creating a soothing atmosphere. At the far end of the room she saw a large floor to ceiling Buddha statue, underneath it a fairly large sized square pond. Chandeliers adorned the high ceilings, ancient Japanese scrawl decorating the walls in gold plated tiling.

He led them to a quiet table in the corner and Ryo pulled out her seat for her. "Your waiter will be with you momentarily and if you need anything, anything at all Mister Akiyama, please feel free to find me. I will be sure to take care of it immediately." He bowed again and Mimi couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed by it all.

It was all such a spectacle and as much as her friends loved to tease her about her _princess complex,_ this was a bit much even for her.

And yet, Ryo seemed entirely unaffected.

But then, she assumed he was probably used to it.

"Do you want to start off with drinks? You look a little tense." He offered her a menu.

Mimi let out a small laugh, "Is it obvious?" She asked.

"A little. But it's cute." He gave her a half grin.

"I'm just not used to all the bowing and the VIP treatment, that's all." She admitted.

She took the menu from him, looking it over keenly. Maybe starting off with a martini or a glass of wine wasn't such a bad idea, with the way her stomach was doing flips, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to eat a bite anyway.

She could hear the shuffling of footsteps behind her, vaguely she registered Ryo looking up from his menu and figured their waiter must be coming over.

However, nothing could have prepared her for what happened next.

"Hello, my name is Yamato Ishida and I will…"

It was as if someone had cut the volume off, his sentence dying off prematurely. The menu slipped from her fingers, landing on her plate with a loud clank which sent her silverware clattering noisily to the floor.

She sucked in a breath as it lodged itself into the back of her throat. There was no way this was happening—it was _impossible_.

With slow hesitation and a stammering heart, she forced herself to lift her eyes up and her mouth flopped open ungracefully at the sight of all too familiar blue eyes.

The same ones that had been haunting her for too long now.

 _What the hell are the freaking chances…_

Out of the three of them, it was Ryo who recovered first. "Hey, man. How's it going?" He asked in the most forced tone imaginable.

She tried to wrench her gaze, tear it from his but it was as if he had ensnared her. And she couldn't get away.

 _Damn him_.

"Good." His answer was tightlipped, his eyes still locked on Mimi's.

Ryo pulled a hand through his hair, "Look, I can ask them to give us another waiter—obviously this is weird for everyone." He said, his voice a still strained.

For the most part, the offer went ignored.

Finally, Mimi opened her mouth to speak. "I had no idea you were working here." She said a little curtly.

"Guess I should have been more specific." He said neutrally.

"I mean, _of course_ I wouldn't have come if I'd known."

"That's neither here nor there, Mimi."

"I know but you have to know I would _never_ —

He looked away from her immediately, "Can I get you guys any drinks to start?" He asked, his focus now on Ryo.

"Look, Matt. I'm just going to ask the front to send us someone else. You don't have to do this, I don't feel right about it." He told the blonde with careful politeness.

"It's my job. I have no problem serving the two of you." It was taking all the restraint he had to keep his voice as calm as possible.

But under the toneless apathy and courteous pleasantries was venom.

He was _seething_.

"Honestly. I think it would be better for everyone."

Mimi could see the way Matt's jaw was clenched, the nerve jumping dangerously. She knew him well enough to know that neither of those were good signs. She also knew Matt needed this job, he had all but said it in so many words. Judging by the place, he probably made good money here. She would kill herself if he lost it because of some pissing contest with Ryo.

She got up from the seat, "Can I just have a minute?" She asked Ryo sweetly.

He looked between the blonde and her before giving a firm nod, "Sure." He said.

Mimi took Matt by the arm, as he reluctantly followed behind her. "What do you think you're doing? I'm on the clock, I could lose my job." He muttered.

"That's exactly what I'm _trying_ to avoid." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, I get you wanna prove a point, but seriously Matt, it's so not worth it. Just let Ryo talk to the manager." She said, hands on her hips.

"Why? It's my section. And I'm not going to watch Ryo Akiyama throw his money around, all the while feeling like he's doing _me_ some damn favor." He said with marked disdain.

Mimi rolled her eyes. "God, it is _so_ _not_ about that." She said seriously. "I know you'd rather do anything other than be my server while I'm on a _date_." She made sure to emphasize the word, looking for even the slightest crack in his otherwise perfect indifference.

Of course, there was no perceptible reaction from him and she should have known better than to expect one.

Yamato Ishida would _never_ give anything away.

"I couldn't care less." He sounded so controlled—bored, even.

And while she hadn't thought it would, the words cut her. To hear him say the words with such unwavering assurance, it stung.

Couldn't he care _just a little_?

"I'm sure you don't, but I do." She said calmly. "So even if it wouldn't irritate you to have to check on us every twenty minutes, it would be unsettling for me to say the least. So please, if you care about me being comfortable _at all_ , just let him request someone else."

He looked at her carefully, for the first time taking in the subtle changes in her appearance.

Mimi was always beautiful, it was a fact about her that was practically universal.

But tonight there was something a little different.

She looked really _pretty_.

Demure and put together, all sparkly and girly.

It was different.

Suddenly, not having to see Ryo dote on her all night seemed like the best gift anyone could give him.

"Fine." His answer came out through gritted teeth.

"Thank you." Mimi sighed.

-x-

The dinner had started off on a horrible note, something her mind couldn't have thought up even in her worst nightmares.

Every time Matt had passed by them, Mimi felt like something wound tighter in her chest. Out of manners, she had tried her best to eat what she had ordered, moving it around with her fork make it look a little less full.

She knew Ryo had noticed the stark change in her demeanor but she was glad he didn't let it affect his mood. He kept the conversations light and fun, never broaching subjects that might feel too personal or too serious. They talked about their favorite TV shows and movies. Exchanged some likes and dislikes over music and art and even some good books they had read. He had told her a particularly funny anecdote about Tai and a coatrack that she couldn't wait to tease him about mercilessly.

And after her second glass of wine, Mimi found herself loosening up considerably.

All in all, it hadn't been terrible, all things considered.

Ryo had gone out to bring the car around for her, while she checked herself in the bathroom mirror. With a satisfactory touch up, she left.

It was only when she was halfway out of the dining area that she felt a hand on her wrist, tugging her backwards.

And it was only because she had memorized his touch that she didn't scream bloody murder.

Slowly, she turned herself so she was once again facing turbulent ocean eyes.

But he didn't say a word, his eyes just boring into hers as if trying to convey something important—willing her to understand.

"I…Ryo is waiting." Her voice was a hoarse whisper.

He could feel her heart pounding, practically hear it even through the all the white noise surrounding him. He lowered his head until his mouth was bare centimeters from her neck. He heard her suck in a sharp breath at his closeness.

"He doesn't _deserve_ you." She felt his breath graze her skin, sending electric currents down her spine.

And for the first time that night, the thing that had been coiling in her chest unwound a little.

But only for a second, because his words _infuriated_ her.

She wrenched her wrist from his grip. "You don't get to do that." She said, her tone was vehement but her voice low. "You don't get to tell me what I deserve or who I should be with—not after the other night." She didn't mean for it to come out so malicious.

But she had never been so mad at him before.

"Mimi, I said I was sorry—

"And its fine, I told you it was _fine_. Do what you need to, but you can't _do_ _that._ Not to me."

"Okay, I can't talk about this at work—

"Then _don't_. But don't expect to say something like that and not get a fucking reaction, either." She hissed, and without giving him a second to respond she turned on her heel and walked right out.

-x-

"Remember a few weeks ago, at the mixer when you told me that even though you had lived in Japan for a while you never actually got to _see it?"_ He asked, once she was back in the car.

Mimi knew it would take everything she had, all her debutante training, every etiquette class and high society manners that had been ingrained in her to keep from allowing her now foul mood to be obvious.

She took a long and deep breath, collecting herself into a smile. "Yeah, I remember." She answered.

"Well, I thought I could show you something—not like a full tour of Tokyo or anything because that might be better in the day. But um, one of my favorite places." He gave her half a grin. "If you know, you're up for it. I know dinner was a little…, well, I would understand if you just preferred I drop you home."

Mimi felt her anger begin to ebb out of her, "I would love to see whatever you want to show me." She smiled, this time honestly.

"Great." He sounded relieved. "It's only ten or fifteen minutes from here." He promised.

"So, what was your favorite thing about New York?" He asked after the moments of silence were beginning to border uncomfortable.

Mimi thought on it for a few moments, "I guess at first, it was the food and the shopping." She laughed lightly. "But to be honest, I just loved the energy. Everyone was always so _alive_ and I don't know, everything about it just felt so timeless. Central Park in the summer… watching the leaves change in the fall…Rockefeller Center and the tree lighting…the ball dropping in Time Square." Her voice had taken on a softer tone, fonder.

Like she was recalling an old lover.

"When I said I never really got to see Japan, I guess that's what I meant. All those classic things about Tokyo, I wanna be able to have seen them too." She admitted. "Its home, you know? I just want to know it."

"I understand."

"But you're on par to becoming a celebrity, especially around here. Forget knowing Tokyo, it knows you."

He chuckled, "I said I understood, I never said I could relate." He winked at her.

"My mistake." Mimi rolled her eyes with a begrudging smile.

When his car finally stopped, Mimi realized where he had taken her and she could have sworn she felt her heart swell. "Rainbow bridge…" She breathed out.

And even here, where only the partial view of the city was visible, it was breathtaking.

He came around the side, opening the door and offering her his hand.

"We can walk it, there's this really beautiful place in the middle that I think you'd love."

She put her hand in his, getting out of his car as he shut the door behind her. He didn't remove his hand from hers and she didn't either.

His hand was nice and warm and she was in no rush to give it back.

The bridge was a sight to behold and she immediately regretted never coming before. Especially at night, where the lights were vibrant and explosive, looking as if they shined only for her. And there, in the quiet comfort of something as simple as holding Ryo's hand, and the entire city so lying peacefully still across the harbor, and the moon twinkling playfully in the sky—she was fulfilled.

If ever there was such a thing as a perfect moment, maybe this was it.

"C'mon. Let's go." He nudged her lightly.

"In a minute." She requested, closing her eyes.

And Ryo just smiled at the beautifully enigmatic girl beside him, thanking all the stars in the sky for giving him this time with her.

"Anything for you."

 _Look at the stars  
Look how they shine for you…  
And everything you do  
You know it's true _

-x-

When Mimi walked into her dorm room she had only just gotten the lights before she was accosted by a lean pair of arms and a mess of scarlet waves. With a relieved chuckle, she hugged back with just as much vigor.

"I'm sorry!" They said in unison before dissolving into a fit of giggles.

Mimi set her bag down. "No, I'm sorry, Sor." She tucked her hair behind an ear. "I didn't mean to freak out on you, it was _so unfair._ "

Sora shook her head, "Me first." She said, patting a spot on her bed. "I shouldn't have pushed it, honestly. It's so not my place and no matter what you decide I just want to be here to support you."

Mimi shook her head, "No, S. You should be able to tell me the truth—you're my _best friend_." She beamed with pride at the words because they had never been truer. "I don't want you to think you have to tip toe around subjects or pretend, that's not _us_. I never want it to be us." She promised.

Sora smiled, "I'm still sorry, Meems. I should have been more sensitive to the situation, I didn't think it through properly and I should have." She apologized.

"It's okay, I appreciate your concern regardless." Mimi said sincerely.

"And for the record, you can talk to me about anything. I won't push it, but when you're ready you have to know I'm here for you, M." She put a hand over the brunette's. "Always."

"Back at ya, redhead." She winked.

"So, now tell me about your date!" Sora practically squealed.

Well, as close to a squeal as _Sora_ could get, anyway.

Mimi let out a breath.

"Well. Let me tell you, it started out _disastrous…"_

-x-

The weight room. It was almost as mandatory and grueling as practice except without the coaches screaming their heads off every second and the sounds of whistles blowing shrilly through the air after every missed play. It was actually a lot more relaxing than practice ever could be and Tai had always found a certain peace in working out. Even though he preferred his cardio outdoors or maybe on top of a blonde.

Either way was good but the latter was so much more satisfying.

"I took Mimi out on a date." Ryo mentioned casually from the bench press.

Tai dropped the weights he was holding up "Huh. Well, I guess it's about time." He gave the boy a shrug, before resuming his work out.

"That's it? No lecture about how I should treat her right or else...?" He'd heard Tai cuss Davis out for less.

Then again, he wasn't dating Tai's sister.

"I really shouldn't need to, Rye." He said honestly. "I mean doesn't it go without saying if you're going to get involved with one of my childhood friends that you should treat her with respect?" He raised his eyebrows. "Besides, I don't need to do the protective older brother thing with her. Ishida will kick your ass half way to hell if you so much as caused her to break one of her perfectly manicured fingernails." And of that, Tai was more than certain.

Ryo paled a little at the thought, "Funny you should mention him..." he started.

Tai turned to him.

"This kind of weird thing happened... I took Mimi to a new restaurant downtown and..." He stopped for a second, feeling a shiver slide down his back at the awkward memory. "Matt was our waiter..."

Tai's eyes widened, " _Dude_." He had managed to get out before doubling over in laughter.

Ryo shook his head, "I knew I shouldn't have told you." He muttered with instant regret.

But it was no use because nothing could be heard over Tai's obnoxious laughter.

"Wonder what's gotten into him." Davis jabbed a thumb towards the brunette.

Sam shrugged, "You know Tai, life is just one big joke to him." He said.

"Why do I even bother with you." Ryo shook his head, before lifting up the dumbbell he'd all but abandoned.

Tai wiped at the corners of his eyes, "Sorry, man. That was just too good." He let out the remaining residual laughter before sobering himself. "I'm guessing you guys left?"

"Nah, I just got a new waiter."

"Weird. I would've left."

"I mean, it's a huge restaurant. We barely even saw him after that." Ryo answered.

"Yeah, but still. I mean you, Mimi…Matt. It's not exactly an ideal situation for a date." He maintained.

"I guess, but it's not such a big deal, right?" He asked with knitted brows. "You said there wasn't anything going on between them."

"Honestly, I can't keep track—too much drama." He said with disinterest. "Anyway, if you're really worried, ask her yourself. Mimi's nothing if not sincere, she'll give it to you straight." He said confidently.

Ryo nodded, "Yeah…" He trailed off uncertainly, "Yeah. I'm sure it's nothing." He said a few seconds later with renewed assurance.

-x-

The next time he saw her it was Thursday evening in the library, she was sitting with one ankle (presumably the injured one) propped up on a pillow and chair, a thick book in her hands (pages barely turned) and a confused but concentrated look on her face.

He probably would have avoided her completely, had he been with anyone other than Tai who wouldn't get a hint if he was bludgeoned with one.

"Hey look, it's Mimi." Tai said with a nod towards her.

"Hn."

"Let's sit with her, not like we'd be able to find a table otherwise." He began walking in the direction of the brunette.

Mimi had seen the pair of boys as soon as they had walked into the library, but she had tried her best not to make eye contact before they saw her. When she felt a presence looming over her, she looked up through thick lashes, "Hey Tai." She said, putting her finger in between the pages not to lose her spot.

Not that it would terribly hard to find page three.

"Hey Meems, mind if we sit?" He asked, even though he was already in the process of taking off his backpack.

"Of course not." She said with a smile. "Hi Matt." She greeted with the same smile.

"Mimi." The response was predictably cool, his jaw barely moving with the syllables.

Tai began putting his things down, as he stared at the blonde with expectant chocolate eyes.

"Aren't you going to sit?" Mimi asked, gesturing towards open chair beside him.

Matt scanned the library before shaking his head, "No." And with a last glance at her, he walked away.

Leaving her sufficiently stunned.

Tai cleared his throat, before grabbing the book out of her hands. " _The Art of War_." He let out a low whistle. "Not my idea of light reading."

"Is anything?" She raised a brow, thankful for his swift change of subject to avoid the awkward silence that had been left behind by Matt's abrupt departure.

Tai gave her a chuckle. "Touché. But really, what's with this?" He held up the book, moving it from side to side.

Mimi shook her head, trying to grab it from him. "If I'm going to beat the bitch at her own game, I've got to learn it first." She stuck out her tongue as he held it away from her.

"Right, but you know this book is about _war_ tactics, don't you?" His eyes twinkled with amusement. "Like real battle, with guns and tanks and trench warfare…things to that effect."

"Perfect, everything I need."

A chuckle escaped him, "I pity the person that pisses you off, Miss Tachikawa." He tipped his head to her, handing back the book.

"All's fair in… well you know how it goes." She winked, taking back the book with a nod of approval.

"Right and speaking of that, what's with the cold front moving in between you and Ishida?" He raised his brows with interest.

Mimi let out a sigh. "Speaking of what?" She asked innocently.

"Huh?"

"Well, which one were you speaking of? Love or war?"

"With you two? They could be interchangeable."

"I think he's mad at me." She relented with a huff.

"This might come as a shock to you but I picked up on as much on my own."

A grudging smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, "It does." She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you've heard by now about the most awkward first date in the history of romantic ventures?"

Tai laughed, "Actually, yeah. Ryo let me in on the whole waiter mishap." He said.

"So yeah, I mean we haven't really talked since." They hadn't done much of that at all lately.

It was as if she didn't even know him anymore.

Tai looked a little surprised and she knew it was because he probably had no idea. Tai and Matt might be best friends, but it didn't make the blonde a total open book to him either.

"I wouldn't get too worked up over it, he's probably just _in a mood_." That excuse was the easy way out when it came to Matt.

And she knew it better than anyone else.

Matt was perfectly content with any outward show of emotion being jarred and labeled as moodiness if it meant he didn't have to talk about it. And everyone in his life enabled him because it meant not having to confront him about it.

But she wasn't okay with that, she never had been.

She hated when he would shut down and shut her out and usually she was pretty good at getting through to him.

Not every time, but at least when he needed her to the most.

Except now, because for the first time in her whole life she had no idea how to talk to him.

Talking to him meant talking about everything, because if there was one thing she couldn't be with Matt it was dishonest. But there were parts of that conversation she had not even had with herself yet. She wouldn't know how to express it, let alone expect him to reciprocate.

" _Right_ …" She said finally, her tone just as helpless as she felt at this moment.

Tai gave her a small smile, "Chin up, kid." He reached over to ruffle her hair. "It could always be worse." And with that he got up, realizing he had wasted the half hour he had to study and now he had to run to practice.

"Famous last words, Kamiya!"

-x-

Saturday evening.

The days had grown shorter, the nights colder and exam season was upon them quicker than anyone could have imagined.

Which was precisely why Matt was trying to get as much studying done before his next shift at the restaurant tomorrow afternoon. And the reason why he was holed up in his bedroom was because it was the one place he could be sure he wouldn't inadvertently run into a certain brunette.

He knew that she knew he was avoiding her, he didn't really make any attempt to hide the fact that he wasn't particularly fond of her company at the moment.

It was unfair, to be so irritated with her. After all, none of what had transpired a week ago was her fault and he knew she didn't do any of it on purpose. Mimi didn't have a bad intentioned bone in her body—usually.

And if anyone was keeping score, by sleeping with Zoe he probably did worse than she did.

Not that there was any score to keep or a reason why she should care about what happened between him and Zoe.

Or any reason he should care about who she dated.

His head was starting to hurt again and this was exactly why he didn't like thinking about all this.

Because once down it, the rabbit hole was never ending.

He knew his frustration had more to do with his own confusion than with her—but she was the root of his confusion, so it all circled around back to her anyway.

And until he could properly figure out what all this meant, he couldn't face her. He had to avoid the hell out of her until he knew what to make of everything he was feeling, for her, about her, towards her. The hardest part of all this was that how new all this was for him, he had always considered his friendship with Mimi to be the most stable part of his life. In his life, where people came and went like season, she had always remained so unwaveringly still, so solid and dependable.

Yet all of a sudden, she felt transient. As if she were liable to pick up and leave at any moment.

How was that for irony?

It was easier to just, _stay_ _away_. But then he would think about her face, that dejected look of anger and disappointment directed at him, and instantly he would feel a pang of regret because while maybe this was easiest thing for him, it was hurting her.

And as much as he hated hurting her, right now he was doing it _knowingly_.

He knew nothing bothered Mimi more than when things were left unsaid—she craved resolution. And he knew she hated how could freeze her out, keep her guessing about what he was feeling. Not knowing what was bothering him killed her.

His thoughts were broken by the sound of the front door creaking open, immediately he heard voices floating in.

"I can't believe you actually have your keys."

It was Sora.

"A miracle and it's not even Christmas."

The second one was most definitely Tai.

And just like that he knew that there was a ninety percent chance his studying was going to be halted, at least for the time being.

Not that he was getting so much done otherwise.

"It isn't as if we'd be stranded outside, Sor. Ishida's home—he hasn't left _in_ _days_."

He could hear Sora's padded footsteps in the living room, "I know, it worries me a little." She admitted.

Matt sighed, setting his books aside before getting off his desk chair.

He walked out of his room, Tai was in the kitchen and Sora was sprawled out with her legs over the arm of the couch.

"No need to worry, I'm alive and kicking." He announced.

Sora opened her amber eyes, "Ah, did you hear us talking about you?" She smiled, before lifting herself off the couch.

Matt caught her in his arms, "Hard not to, not like you two were being very _discreet_." He hugged her back before letting her go.

"What for?" Tai asked. "No such thing as secrets among friends." He came over with an arm full of beer, handing a bottle to the redhead and blonde, keeping on for himself.

Matt settled himself in the armchair, Sora resuming her position on the couch and Tai took the sofa. "To what do I owe the pleasure, and don't tell me this is some sort of intervention." Matt said with half a grin.

Sora laughed, "What kind of intervention starts off with a beer?" She asked.

"One spearheaded by Tai." Matt answered.

Tai couldn't argue with that. "No, man. It's not an intervention. I just came to get ready, Red tagged along to see you." He shrugged.

"Yeah and to force you to join us tonight, party at the soccer house—you _need_ _to_ come out." She insisted.

Immediately he knew that was the last place he wanted to be tonight, without a doubt. Because the soccer house was where Ryo resided and if Sora and Tai were both going to said party then there was no way Mimi wouldn't be there. That was one situation he was more than happy to be as far away from as possible.

"I don't think I can, homework and all." He cleared his throat. "And since when are you such a social butterfly?"

She answered his latter statement by sticking her tongue out at him. "Oh come on! All work and no play makes Matt a dull boy." Sora said in a sing-song voice.

Matt chuckled, taking a sip of his beer.

"You really do need to get out, you haven't done anything remotely fun in a really long time." Tai chimed in.

Matt just shook his head.

Tai pulled a hand through his unruly mass of brown hair. "You know, Zoe is going to be there tonight." He offered.

Matt let out a snort. "And?" He said with indifference.

"Well, I don't know. Incentive or something?"

"Zoe's cool, but I don't really need to go to a party if I want to see her." And he didn't mean for it to come off so entitled, but it wasn't as if it was a lie either.

If he needed Zoe to come over, wanted her to, she would and there wouldn't be many questions asked.

"Besides, I prefer to enjoy her company in more intimate quarters anyway." He continued for sport as Tai gave him an air fist bump for the smooth finish.

Sora blanched at the innuendo and Matt sent her a playful wink just to drive the point home. "Ugh, now I remember why I stopped hanging out with you two!" Sora threw a pillow at the blonde.

Matt and Tai laughed simultaneously because there was nothing more timelessly fun than getting a rise out of Sora. "Glad you guys can still enjoy yourselves at my expense." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, red. You had to know that some things never change."

And despite everything, he was glad for that. Because he missed Mimi and he hated that feeling but being around Tai and Sora made it a little less palpable.

And while Sora claimed to have come over under the guise of trying to coax him out to a party, he knew the two of them were actually here for some form of moral support. That they were worried about him, they wanted to make sure everything was okay and he was thankful for that.

Having people who cared about him, it was nice.

"So, what do you say? Should the three of us hit that party together for old times sake?" She quirked an eyebrow, looking between the boys.

"You know I'm game." Tai said immediately. "Though it's going to suck when you go off with Ichijoji and not wingman for me." He told her.

"Oh come on Kamiya, you haven't needed me to wingman for you since the tenth grade."

"Still, it would have been fun to reprise tradition, even if just for a night."

"Since when do you even need a wingman, you seem to do just fine on your own." Matt said. "Oh, except for recently, what was her name again… _Rangiku_?" He smirked tauntingly.

Tai winced, "Yes, in a very odd, very strange turn of events you were the one to get lucky that night and I struck out. Not my finest hour." He shook his head.

"Just get girlfriends, all this wingman business and striking out will be a thing of the past." Sora suggested.

"I don't do girlfriends."

Sora ignored the statement because Tai said it so much it might as well be stamped on his forehead. "So, answer the question Matt. Are you in or out?"

"Out." He said resolutely. "I've got to study and a shift tomorrow, I'd rather not be hungover all day."

Tai threw his hands up in the air, "Told you this would be useless." He said pointedly to the redhead. "Oh and by the way, there's a bright pink elephant in the room that we're all perfectly content on ignoring. Just thought you guys would wanna know!" And with that, he grabbed his beer and retreated to his room.

Sora let out a small sigh, "Well, now that Tai so tactfully navigated into the subject, you wanna talk about it?" She asked softly.

Matt rubbed a hand over his face, "I had to basically watch Mimi go on a date with Ryo and almost had to be her server. It was weird and awkward and now I don't know what to say to her because there's been already been too much weird and awkward between us as it is."

And even though Sora was well aware of the situation already, hearing Matt say it made her cringe anyway. "Ugh, I'm sorry buddy." She said with honest sympathy. "Karma really is a bitch, huh?"

He knew even still he'd gotten the better end of the deal, at least he didn't have to walk in on Ryo leaving her dorm room early in the morning.

The thought alone had his stomach turning and his veins burning.

"Yeah, just didn't think it would come around so soon." He sighed. "Anyway, I'm just not ready yet and I know it's probably killing her that I'm not talking to her but it's not coz I'm mad, I'm just…" He stopped there, because he didn't know what else he was supposed to say.

What was the right thing to say, anyway?

"I understand, I really do. You should talk to her once you know what you want to say." She said. "For what its worth though, I still think you should come to the party. I think you'll find that honest conversations are easier to have when there's vodka involved." Sora smiled.

And Matt gave her a smile back, "Thanks for the advice, I'll consider it." He said mostly to humor her.

"Yes, I'm sure you won't." She got up off the couch.

"And where are you off?"

"To beat Tai to the shower." She stopped to drop a kiss on his cheek.

"Oh and Matt?" She said over her shoulder.

"Hm?"

"Don't worry too much, okay? It's all going to work out in the end. I promise."

-x-

It was like any other party, yet she couldn't shake the weird feeling that something was off.

Different.

And she didn't know if it was just because she felt different these days or something else.

It was hard, being so estranged from the one person she had relied on for constant support and presence. He had been her rock, her confidante, her best friend and on occasion, her therapist—plus everything else in between. And in all the years of their friendship, this had been the longest they had spent without speaking to each other.

It wasn't for lack of effort on her part, he was just so unreachable when he wanted to be.

Cold and aloof and so incredibly distant that it felt like she was all the way across the ocean again.

Except worse because at least then he still talked to her.

Now, it was as if she didn't even exist.

And nothing hurt worse than being ignored by someone who meant just about everything to you.

She understood it, though, on some level—his need to put space between them. Things were changing so rapidly and they both probably needed time to adjust.

Their relationship had been built on the foundation of years of careful honesty and trust. It was the one thing between them that had remained constant in their tumultuous and dramatic teenage years up until now. She had always been able to rely on him to be there for her, to be sincere with her and want the best for her—unconditionally.

Her expectations had been set that way for so long, it was a crushing feeling to think about all that changing.

She worried about them, about _him_ —constantly. It was nonstop and all she wanted was some sort of confirmation that while maybe he wasn't ready to be around her just yet, he was alright and he was working through it in his own way.

That things would get better, that they would be okay soon.

"You know, M. It's a party—you should lighten up!" She was met with a gentle elbow to her side, before she looked up to find a partial view of sparkling blonde hair.

She wasn't the biggest fan of Zoe right now, or ever really. But it was especially hard to keep up a frenemies façade when she felt like smacking the girl every time she saw her annoyingly perfect face.

 _Play nice, Mimi._

She plastered on a fake smile, "It's been a long week, Z." She said swiftly.

"Ugh, but at least you got a break from hell on earth otherwise known as cheerleading practice. God, I think Taylor needs a _Xanax_ or a man—probably both. I swear that girl is wound tighter than a freakin telephone cord." She complained.

"Yeah, well. I guess there's a silver lining to everything. Even falling flat on your ass and embarrassing yourself in front of a gym full of people."

"Well, if it's any consolation if anyone could have made even that look graceful, it's you."

"Thanks, I guess." Mimi laughed.

"Oh, Catherine!" Zoe called out, grabbing her friend by the elbow. "Bring Mimi a drink, would you? She seriously needs one."

The other blonde nodded, before complying and Mimi had just started to feel herself softening towards Zoe—it stopped immediately. Watching the girl go all Queen Bee was not something she enjoyed seeing, it irked her to no end.

 _Because that used to be you, M._

And as annoying as that stupid voice in her head was (that sounded way too much like Sora for her liking) it was usually always right. And right now, she was annoyed because she was practically seeing a reflection of her old self, her old life.

Not for the first time since she'd been back, she was pointedly reminded that things had been considerably easier while she was away.

She loved being home and there were things about it she knew that were irreplaceable, but it didn't erase the complications either.

"So listen, I wanted to have a quick one on one with you. Just so things aren't awkward since our lives seem to be intertwining rather quickly."

And here it was, the conversation she had been dreading for the last week and a half.

She would give anything to fast forward through this part of the night.

Catherine came back with her drink just in time and Mimi took a long sip as she waited for Zoe to start.

"I know a party is hardly the place to have this convo, but I mean I don't think I'd be able to bring it up if I wasn't a little buzzed. You kind of intimidate me, Mimi." She confessed.

And the brunette nearly spit out her drink. " _Me_?" She nearly yelled in shock. " _I_ initimdate _you_?" Her eyes widened in disbelief.

Zoe looked at her through confused blue eyes, "Well…yeah." She said, as if it were entirely obvious. "I mean, you're _gorgeous_. You're a natural talent when it comes to just about everything. You've got basically every guy trailing behind you like a lost puppy. You're smart and have this tight group of friends that you've known since forever and let's face it, you know they're there for the right reasons." She stopped, her tone sounding a little wistful.

So Zoe was aware that her friends were the bought and sold kind…maybe the girl wasn't as oblivious as she seemed.

"I'll stop before this starts taking on a pseudo fatal attraction vibe." She laughed lightly. "My point is, you're a little unapproachable and I don't know, I thought we were becoming friends and I really liked that so I don't want to mess it up."

Mimi took another sip, "We're still friends, Zoe. It hasn't changed." Maybe the word was used loosely when applied here, but it wasn't entirely untrue either. She didn't hate the blonde, she just wasn't too sure about her still.

"I know, but I know you and Matt have like a thing. I mean, I'm not going to presume to know what that _thing_ is but I also don't wanna step on your toes." She sighed. "I like him, I have since the second I met him, really. But whatever it is between us, it's never going to be what you guys have so I don't want to go there if it means ruining whatever potential we have to be friends."

Mimi wasn't sure how to feel about what Zoe had just said, on one hand it was sincere as far as she could tell, which was nice. But on the other, it was opening a box she could _barely_ close to begin with and she wasn't ready for that mess just yet.

"Thanks…Zoe." She said after a few minutes of lengthy silence. "I appreciate your concern but Matt's a big boy, he makes his own decisions. I'm just his friend." She said it and didn't even bother trying to sound convincing.

No matter how hard she tried, it just sounded so hollow.

Zoe ran a hand over her hair, "Just as well, I just thought you should know." She shrugged. "So anyways, I heard you went on a date with my brother."

Mimi cleared her throat, "I uh, did. Yeah." She felt awkward, going from the subject of Matt to the subject of Ryo so quickly.

It felt wrong and weird.

"He didn't tell me. Our dad knows—

"The owner, I heard."

"Yeah, so my mom found out because she's the nosiest person ever and she told me. Her exact words were "Oh, Izumi! You won't believe what I heard, apparently your brother took some really pretty brunette to Uncle Seto's restaurant and it wasn't Taylor!" She put on a high pitched voice to imitate her mtoher's and it made Mimi laugh. "My mom was thrilled by the latter, by the way. She's not the biggest fan of Taylor." She winked.

"Well, how'd you figure it was me?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Because I know my brother, he's _hellbent_ when he wants something. And right now, he's tunnel visioned on you."

Mimi nodded, "Are you going to give me a sister speech now?" She asked.

Zoe let out a giggle. "Yeah right!" She said, eyes shimmering with amusement. "It's Ryo, if anything I should probably be warning _you_ —he's not much of a boyfriend." She said honestly.

"I'm not really looking for one, anyway."

Zoe nodded, "I mean, in all fairness—he might surprise you. But his track record isn't stellar." She mentioned. "But then, his on again/off again relationship was kind of toxic, so really it could go either way."

"Never become a lawyer, Z. You'd suck." Mimi chuckled.

"He's my brother, I don't wanna sabotage his chances. But I don't wanna lie to you either."

"Don't worry, I'm taking things as they come. No wedding bells anytime soon." She joked.

"Perfect. Just what I—

The sound of a throat clearing behind them stopped the blonde mid-speech.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to borrow Mimi for a minute, if that's alright with you."

And Mimi, who would know that voice like velvet anywhere, didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.

 _Matt_.

-x-

A/N: Hello and Happy Holidays! I hope you guys are all doing well and having a great holiday season with your loved ones. I'm sorry I took so long to update but I've been blocked lately, it's like I know how I want to tell this story but the words aren't coming together the way I want them to. Anyway, let me know if this chapter was any good! I love hearing from you guys!

References:  
-Narisawa is an expensive restaurant in Minato, Tokyo that is often inhabited by celebrities and whatnot.  
-The restaurant that Ryo took Mimi to was made up (that's why I didn't insert a name) and I modeled it after a pretty well know restaurant in New York called Tao (I'm pretty sure there's one in L.A, also) so if you were curious to see what I imagined the setting of the date to look like you can simply search up "Tao NYC" and you will be able to get a pretty decent idea.  
-Rainbow Bridge, connects the Tokyo Bay area to Odaiba (from my understanding) and its name is rather self-explanatory—at night it's lit up different colors (sometimes imitating a rainbow) They do allow you to walk it, there's a northern and southern route but it is only during certain times (which I obviously didn't include in the chapter)  
-If you ever read my story Polar Opposites, you might recall the "coat rack incident" that Ryo told Mimi about, LOL.  
-The song I use at the end of the MimixRyo scene is: Yellow by Coldplay  
-Xanax is an anti-anxiolytic which has a calming effect on the person taking it, usually.

On to the Thank You's!

 **Darkywitch** : Thank you for the review, I'm so glad you're enjoying this story! It means a lot to me, It always means a lot to me when someone stumbles upon my work and loves it, I really appreciate you taking the time out to read and review! Haha, if you like the RyoxMimi pairing then maybe you'll especially appreciate the beginning of this chapter ;) And I understood you perfectly, please don't feel conscious about your English Thank you for the review, hope to hear from you soon!

 **Angelxchild** : First, thank you for always reading and supporting my work, it means so much! I'm glad you liked the Tai/Mimi interactions, I love writing them—I just love writing Tai in general. There wasn't much Michi here, but it was meant to be a bit more Matt oriented than the last couple of chapters have been. Once I have a few more deleted scenes compiled, I'll definitely figure out how I want to post them—I might just wait until this story is over…let's see LOL. Thank you for the review and for reading and I certainly hope to hear from you soon!

 **Scripturiens** : Thank you so much for reviewing! I always love hearing your thoughts on my chapters so I really appreciate you taking the time out to share them with me I agree with you about the liberties I took with Mimi and it definitely was unfair for her to take all the anger out on Zoe but I feel like it's the knee jerk reaction most people have when they see something like that. LOL, your 'aggressively ship them' line literally made me laugh out loud! I literally STRUGGLE with not turning all my stories into one big Mimato-Michi love triangle, I have to physically stop myself. I'm actually really happy to be getting such a positive response for Ryo, I wanted to avoid making him into the typical 'Michael archetype' character as the other guy, so I'm relieved to hear he's likeable. Haha, there is of course going to be a lot more Mimato angst to come, because it wouldn't be me if I didn't make them jump through a hoop or two or twenty :P Ah, the phone call—so it was a last minute addition when I removed something else and I kind of was trying to convey that his concern for her trumps everything else, that sort of thing. Like kind of that their friendship, at the end of the day, is still something they come back to automatically when something is wrong. I guess it didn't translate that way but that's what I was hoping to get across. Thank you for the review and I do hope you update TBHW before I finish reading it because I don't think I'd be able to wait six MORE months for an update—I will start hounding you LOL. Thank you for the review and for the congratulations! Hope to hear from you soon.

 **Angelic** **Moonlight** : Thank you so much for the review and for reading, I always look forward to hearing what you think! Haha, I love writing sassy Mimi and after the stunt Taylor, she just had to! Haha, like I was saying before I literally have to stop myself from turning the Michi friendship into romance because I love the two of them so much, but I ship mimato too firmly to ever make them endgame LOL. Well, there was no Yama/Zoe interaction in this chapter but maybe in the next one ;) and as for Sora, well—I think her reappearance was welcome then. Thank you for the review and reading and always supporting my work, I hope to hear from you soon! Happy holidays!

 **Supernaturalfan17980** : Thank you for the review and continued support! I hope this chapter finds you well and that I'll hear from you soon!

 **Silentuser** : Wow, thank you for all those compliments—I'M BLUSHING. Those were some really nice, really extravagant words, I just hope I can live up to them! Chapter Eleven was actually my favorite to write so far, I can't even lie—I loved the way it had come together. Aww, I'm so glad you're liking Ryo he's kind of like an experiment for me so I'm glad it's turning out good so far LOL. I love writing Tai, he's my favorite. While I'm all Mimato, always and forever, Tai is my favorite character by far (if that makes any sense) The Mimi-Sora convo at the end worked out rather well for another last minute addition to the chapter, I did like how it flowed once it was written, I'll admit. As for recommendations… I can give you a few off the top of my head, some of them are older stories, I'm not sure if you've read them or not but these are all really good Mimato/Digi stories in my opinion (in no particular order)  
1\. The Maiden: SincereFriendship  
2\. Project Babysitting: ThisLittleLady (formerly PaochiCute—all her work is phenomenal)  
3\. Secrets In a Big Red Bow: Emerald Kisses  
4\. Stranded With Your Ex: Mrs-Ishida-To-You  
5\. Paradigm Shift: Squit Ayumin  
6\. The Battle Hymn and Waltz: Scripturiens  
Hope this helps! Thank you for reviewing and reading, I hope to hear from you soon!

 **Guest** : Thank you for reading and reviewing, and for your kind information I do review whatever I read.

 **Thank you to all of you who read and all my reviewers, you're amazing! You keep me going and keep this fandom alive! Hope everyone has a safe and happy holidays!**

Til next time!


	14. Proceed With Caution

" **Slow Burn"** _(def.): an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time._

-x-

 **Chapter Fourteen** : _Proceed With Caution_

-x-

She wished this conversation would have taken place an hour ago, maybe even a day ago.

Preferably a week ago.

But right now was the one time she wished it wasn't happening.

She was too emotional and too confused.

Though the last one seemed like a permanent state of mind these days. And everything about Yamato Ishida was confusing to her.

Sometimes, that fact thrilled her (though she could never admit it) because it was like seeing a whole other side to him. Almost as if she could separate him into two people, _Matt_ who was her friend, who she had known her whole life and this other person— _Yamato_ , who was enigmatic and puzzling, responsible for rousing all these new feelings inside of her that she had no name or place for.

Matt was her comfortable place, her safe space. The thing she clung to when everything else around her was blowing away. And nothing in the world would compare to that, nothing would ever mean more than him.

But then there was _Yamato_ , devastatingly handsome and completely enamoring. The one that would plague her dreams with soft caresses and sinful kisses, leaving her hot and breathless. The guy that she had this indescribable attraction to, that was more instinctual than rational, animalistic rather than logical. She was drawn to him unwillingly, like a moth to a flame, even though every inch of her knew she would get burned.

It was easier to come to terms with these new, foreign feelings clawing inside her chest when she compartmentalized him this way.

Easier just to _give in_.

Because she was so _tired_ of fighting the war that raged in her mind, continuously, arduously, _incessantly._

But the distinction only extended as far as her imagination because right now, standing in front of her, was both Matt and Yamato.

And they were exactly the same.

Perhaps if she could make the discernment right now, she wouldn't be feeling tingly all over her body. She wouldn't have a somersaulting stomach or an overzealously beating heart. She wouldn't notice his perfectly chiseled face, his carelessly tousled blonde hair, his broad shoulders or those smoldering pools of ocean blue.

She would just see _Matt_.

And she definitely wouldn't feel those slight pangs of arousal in places she was too mortified to admit.

Just the thought of it had a hot blush rising from her neck.

"Can we go somewhere quieter?" He yelled over the music.

Mimi shrugged a shoulder, " _Whatever_." She said coolly, because regardless of how sexy she might find him right now she was still really mad at him.

And she wasn't going to make this easy on him.

His eyes travelled around the room, before he surprised her by taking her wrist in his hand and gently pulling her behind him. She stumbled a few steps forward before she was able to keep up with his quickened pace.

And from somewhere in the corner Sora, who'd watched the entire exchange, met the eyes of a wild haired brunette across the room. She gave him a nod, before excusing herself from Sam's company.

They met somewhere in the middle, both of them watching their pair of friends retreating into the back of the house. "Well, what do you know." Tai mentioned to the redhead.

Sora took a sip of her drink, "The ice seems to be thawing." She said.

"What do you think will come outta this?" Tai asked, genuinely concerned.

Sora shrugged. "They live in extremes, all or nothing—it's always been that way, hasn't it?" She only half asked, because they both knew it was true. Matt and Mimi had gone from barely acknowledging each other's existence, to becoming inseparable (well, metaphorically, at least) and no one could really put their finger on what had happened in between. "So the way I see it, it'll either be really good or really bad." And Sora sincerely hoped for the former because she wasn't sure if their seemingly fragile friendship could handle another devastating blow so soon.

It was straining the four of them as well, their hang outs now few and far between and she hated that. Mimi, Matt and Tai were so much more to her than childhood friends, they were the closest thing she ever had to a _real_ _family_.

"Stairway to heaven or highway to hell." Tai let out a dry chuckle.

When she didn't say anything, he looked over at her, noticing the creases lining her forehead. "Hey." He gently put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry so much, they'll be alright." He said honestly.

"But how do you _know_ that?" She asked him, practically pleading for reassurance.

He turned her to face him, both hands on her shoulders now. "Because I would _never_ let anything happen to us." He promised through fierce brown eyes.

She believed him before the words had fully left his mouth, because underneath that playboy façade was still the same Tai who had never, in his life, let her down.

She felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards him then, not for anything specific but just for who he had always been. Their de-facto leader through all of life's trials. It couldn't have been an easy job, being responsible for everyone else, being brave in the face of everything that had been thrown at them, holding them all together and keeping himself from falling apart at the same time.

Without wasting another second she put her arms around his neck, "Thank you." She whispered, and even over the pulsating music and noisy chatter she was sure he heard her.

Matt led Mimi through the living room and the kitchen and the makeshift bar area, through the glass doors and out to the patio. But as soon as he had closed the door behind them, he regretted the decision, the chilly November air biting at his skin instantly.

He felt even worse for dragging her out here, seeing goosebumps puckering on her bare arms. Strangely, she had yet to complain about it, instead wearing a faraway expression in her eyes.

He slid his arms out of his leather jacket, putting it around her shoulders. He knew if she hadn't been so cold she would have protested, she was mad at him after all. But she accepted it wordlessly as he pulled down the sleeves of his crewneck sweater.

She welcomed the weight and warmth of his jacket, but hated how his scent immediately assaulted her senses. She could knew her feelings of resentment were beginning to ebb out of her and she wanted to hold on to them. Anger and resentment were much safer than all the other things she was feeling for him right now.

It didn't help that his scent on this jacket was like catnip to her right now.

"Sorry for bringing you out here."

"And that's all your sorry for?" She raised a brow.

He pulled a hand through his blonde hair. "Well, no. Obviously not." He mumbled. "I was going to get to that."

"Then get to it."

"Look, of course I'm sorry for how I've been acting lately." He admitted. "I know I haven't been much of a friend to you lately but you have to know it wasn't on purpose."

"Wasn't it?" She asked. "I mean it's what you do, Matt. The second things get a little uncomfortable you _bolt_." She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, yeah you're right." He sighed. "But it's not because I'm trying to hurt you or because I'm particularly angry with you. I was just… put off by everything."

A bitter laugh escaped her. "Because it's all about you?" She shook her head. "I mean seriously, Matt. I don't get you anymore. It's like one minute you're all about being friends and you wanna make music together and it's like everything is back to normal and then the next minute you're just _gone_." She felt it all spilling out of her, coming out like word vomit she couldn't control. "And because of what? _A_ _date_? Ryo? Because I am having a lot of trouble believing that _that's_ all it would take for you to decide to ice me out like that. No, seriously, what the hell could I have done that was _so bad_ that you legit stopped _speaking_ to me!" She demanded.

Matt was a little stunned by her outburst, he hadn't been on the other side of a _royally-pissed-off_ Mimi rant in a long time. It caught him off guard, he didn't know how to respond because everything he had carefully crafted to say was practically inadequate. He had half been expecting to sweep this under the rug the way they had done everything else lately. But clearly Mimi had other plans.

"It, it wasn't like _that_." He defended feebly.

"Really? Then I guess I must've I imagined the whole thing."

"No, Mimi. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that it was an uncomfortable situation for me and I just wanted some time away from you to get over it."

"But _why_?" She implored. "Why was it even something that you needed to ' _get_ _over.'_ Because I _know_ the date part isn't what mattered to you, you made that really clear to me. Like I get that what happened hadn't been ideal but was it such a big deal that you couldn't even talk to me afterwards? It's not like I brought him there to—

"I lied, okay! I fucking _lied_." He interrupted her out of frustration.

The sudden exclamation made her jump, "Lied? Lied about what?" She asked, brows furrowed.

"When I said I didn't care about you being on a date, I lied." His head was reeling, everything was in a state of flux.

Her eyes widened, mouth popping open into an 'O'

"I…I didn't think it would matter, but…it did." His voice was low and she could hear the uncertainty that burdened it.

For the first time since she had come back, she felt like she wasn't crazy for everything she had been feeling.

"What…what does that _mean_?" She asked in a small, dazed voice.

He swallowed down his fear, the anxiety, that voice in the back of his mind telling him that he shouldn't, under any circumstances, answer that question. "That, that seeing you with someone else _matters_ to me, Mimi." He said gruffly. "Actually, it really _sucks_."

"But, you _slept_ with Zoe." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.

He winced at the mention of it, "I know and that was stupid. And I'm sorry." He said, his voice ridden with guilt.

"Would you ever have told me?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes, honestly."

He let out a sigh, his breath coming out in short, smoky puffs. "No, never." He raised a shoulder.

" _Why_?" She asked, not because it was something the sort of thing they usually shared with each other but because she needed something _more_ than that.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, aside from the obvious reasons. It's because if it were the other way around, and I'm sure it will be at some point." He added with a grunt. "I _never_ want to know, Mimi." He gave her a hard stare.

Mimi sucked in a deep breath, feeling as if she was going to suffocate. She felt as if she'd gone numb from the inside out.

She was assaulted with a barrage of memories from the morning she had walked into the loft. And for some reason, it almost hurt more now after hearing everything he'd just said to her, than it had when it happened.

"I care about you, Mimi. I was _never_ trying to hurt you." He laid a hand over her cheek. "It _kills_ me that I did, you know that don't you?"

She stared at him through thick lashes, "Do you like her?" She asked him, deliberately avoiding his question. "Because she likes _you_ , Matt."

He shook his head, "I…no, I don't _like_ her, I barely know her." He said honestly.

"But you're open to liking her, aren't you?" She could practically feel her heart breaking as she waited for his answer.

But she had to know, because nowhere in this conversation had he said anything about caring for her as more than a friend. He didn't even hint at it and for some reason, it was as if the moment had passed. If there had been a time for grand gestures and romantic revelations, it was gone now.

"I…" He stared into those familiar hazel eyes.

She was so beautiful, it was hard to focus on anything else. Her caramel waves and her rosy cheeks and wet lips. Her adorably tiny frame wrapped in his overly large jacket.

"I _need_ to know, Matt." She didn't say anymore, he had to know why she was asking.

It was just torturous to make her spell it out.

There was no easy answer because what she was asking what she really meant were very different.

Because he knew as well as she did, sleeping with someone wasn't nearly as serious as dating them. One was purely physical and with the way he had been that night it could have been with anyone. But what she had with Ryo was different, it was the beginning of something.

It had _potential_.

And he didn't want to ruin that for her, but he didn't want to push her away either.

"No. Not if it means hurting you."

She squeezed her eyes shut, "If it didn't?" She asked hoarsely, barely holding in her tears. "If it didn't hurt me? Then would you be?"

Matt took her face between his hands, "It isn't important." He told her.

These were the moments where it got hard to tell apart the feelings he had for her, especially hard when she was standing in front of him looking so thoroughly kissable with her pink pouty lips and sultry hazel eyes. He could see himself doing it too, kissing her and holding her and everything else.

But what if their chemistry only extended as far as friendship, what if the reason they were so drawn to each other was partly because this unexplored part of their relationship was so shrouded in mystery. This idyllic, air around what could be.

How about if the real thing was underwhelming and distorted, then they'd be too far gone to ever come back.

This girl meant damn near everything to him, he just _couldn't lose her._

But for some reason, letting her leave right now to be with someone else felt a lot like losing her too and he just couldn't ignore the jealousy that raged inside him when he thought about that.

All of a sudden, it felt like too much pressure. As if they were standing at the brink of something, looking over the edge of a cliff. There was no end in sight and all he could see below him was a dark, cavernous abyss. And so here it was, the precipice of their relationship, everything they had so carefully built coming to a head. He saw his two choices so clearly in front of him, continue to stand safely on the edge of that cliff. Or take a leap and hope for the best.

And maybe the outcome would be beautiful, all their doubts and questions being put to rest so completely, they would finally find resolution. It would be all blue skies and rosy sunsets and fields of gold.

But then there was the other outcome of what could be. The one that ended in a blazing fire of destruction.

And truly there was no way to know which would be their fate.

She gave him a small, sad smile, "This is stupid." She withdrew herself from him, turning her body so her back was to the glass door.

"I just want things to go back to the way they were." He said openly, shoulders slumping.

She tucked a few loose waves behind her ear, "Yeah, I do too." And she did, most of the time. But then there were times when she thought about how much better things might be if they gave into what they were feeling.

But she knew she couldn't just jump into something with him on a whim. He wasn't some guy she had met on a blind date, he was the guy who had been in her life through some of the happiest and hardest times she'd ever faced. The one who knew most of her secrets and had kept them to this day. Who would answer her manic phone calls at three in the morning. And always wished her Happy Birthday at twelve AM on the dot.

And he was always there for her, no matter what happened, she could rely on him.

Still, with all her logic and reasoning telling her to bury these feelings forever, a question steadfastly remained.

 _But what if I love him?_

"So what do we do now?"

And for that he had no answer, from her helpless tone he knew she didn't either. So instead, he drew his eyes away from her, following her stare to the indigo night sky. Where the stars gazed down at them mournfully.

After all, seldom did star crossed lovers have happy endings.

-x-

The conversation left her dazed, feeling as though it had done nothing but raise more questions in her already confused mind. As though she were no closer to figuring out a solution to her predicament than she had been before.

And even though the ice had thawed between them, things didn't feel the same.

Something told her they never would again.

Mimi navigated through the crowd, convinced she should find Ryo at least that would distract her from her Matt problem for a while. But when she saw Tai and Sora off to the side, she couldn't help but go to them instead. Perhaps Ryo would provide a distraction, but it was nothing in comparison to the comfort she felt being around her friends.

"This party is kinda lame." Tai mentioned once she had caught up to them.

Sora sighed, "I'd have to agree with you." She said ungrudgingly. "Parties are so _not_ my scene." She relented with a sigh.

She tried, mostly for Sam's sake, to have fun at these typical, exclusive, useless parties that were thrown by the privileged youth of TU but they were all the same.

Redundant, with the same blueprint outlining the events that would partake through the night.

And, Mimi, who'd originally thought this party would've been a good time, now couldn't wait to get the hell out of here. "Should we bail?" She asked.

Tai and Sora exchanged glances, "It's not the worst idea I've heard all night." The redhead spoke first.

A thoughtful look crossed the brunette's face, "We could take a cab back to the loft, I wouldn't mind having a quiet night in, just the four of us." He said.

She inwardly winced at the word _four_ , because being in close quarters with Matt didn't seem like a very good idea right now. But then, they all hadn't hung out in so long she felt traitorous to decline.

Especially since Tai was the one suggesting it, normally he would never miss the opportunity to party.

Sora perked up at the suggestion, "I'll go get my coat." She said quickly.

"Well that didn't take much convincing." Mimi laughed.

"Yeah, she might be dating the captain of the soccer team but she's still _Sora_ after all."

Mimi pulled out her phone, thumbing through her texts.

 _Hey, Sora wasn't feel too great so we left, sorry!_

She knew she probably should have made some sort of effort to find Ryo instead of texting him goodbye, but it just felt so much easier to be standing here next to Tai. If she didn't have to face Ryo and his adorable green eyes, she wouldn't have to feel even worse about everything that was clouding her mind.

His reply came almost instantly,

 _Where are you, did you already leave?_

She groaned inwardly

 _Not yet, almost._

Tai had disappeared, Sora still wasn't back yet and even though she wasn't sure if she wanted to be alone with Matt again, it might be better than having to make up some lame excuse for her early departure to Ryo's face.

Her phone vibrated again.

 _Can you wait a minute? I wanna see you before you leave._

Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen the soccer star in a really long time. What had he been doing this entire time? Where was he now? He hadn't bothered texting her to ask her where she was or made an effort to find her. For all his profound confessions and seemingly uninhibited candidness, he sure wasn't concerned much about her tonight. And she had been too preoccupied with other things to realize it before, but now it was really beginning to tick her off.

Why was it that he could be so caring and genuine when they were alone, yet became inattentive and uninterested in a crowd?

 _This is why I don't do athletes_ , she rolled her eyes.

She didn't bother answering his text, feeling herself begin to question his whereabouts and motives with every passing second. Maybe it was because residual uneasiness she felt after coming to terms (sort of) with her situation with Matt.

Luckily, she didn't have much of a chance to dwell on it because Sora was back, with Matt trailing behind her. Tucked under his arm was her long, cream coat which she had forgotten all about in her haste. But it was cold outside and she allowed herself to feel an ounce of gratitude towards the blonde.

"Ready?" Sora asked perkily.

Mimi nodded.

Matt came around behind her, slipping the coat over her shoulders much like he'd done so many times before. She looked over her shoulder, her hesitant gaze meeting his turbulent eyes as his hand traveled over her arms for a moment. He then put a hand on the small of her back and led her towards the exit. And all she could remember thinking was no matter how uncertain things were, how incredibly chaotic her thoughts were, how jumbled her emotions seemed to be, nothing felt more reassuring than his touch.

-x-

 _Ace of Spades_ was a game that Matt and Tai had made up sometime during their sophomore year of high school. It involved a bottle of cheap whiskey (or rum or sake, whatever they could get their hands on) and a deck of cards. Where a card was given to each person, then flipped over to determine who had the lowest number. Two of the same number were decided by suits, diamonds being the lowest, then clubs after that was hearts and finally the spade.

And by that logic, the lowest card in the game was the two of diamonds, highest being the Ace of Spades.

At the end of each round scores were tallied and the member with the smallest card was subjected to two things, a straight shot from the bottle in the middle (the amount of alcohol chosen by the winner) plus a choice between answering a personal question or taking a chance on being given something to do.

The game would be over if someone drew the Ace of Spades, after which that player would be King able to dictate what every other player was supposed to do.

A new twist on an old game.

They had decided to play it tonight, though Mimi didn't think it was a very good idea given the fact that she could hardly trust herself around Matt sober, she shuddered to think what her mind would be like when she was drunk. But it hadn't been just the four of them in _so long_ and she had missed being able to have fun with her best friends.

They all looked genuinely happy too, even Matt who was more at ease now than she had seen him in the last few weeks.

By the fourth round, Mimi and Sora gave each other hi fives for not having yet to take a drink while Tai was on his third loss and Matt was snickering at his sheer bad luck.

"It's rigged." Tai complained, grabbing a throw pillow from the couch.

Sora shuffled the deck, "Of course it is, sore loser." She rolled her eyes.

Tai dropped the pillow on Mimi's lap before dropping his head on it as well.

Sora stretched out her toes to the side, as Matt laid vertical with his head propped up on his hand.

The redhead handed out a card to each of them.

Matt turned out his card with a smirk, revealing a Jack of Spades.

He knew he wasn't going to be taking any truths or dares for this round.

Sora relinquished her card, Nine of Hearts.

Mimi hissed as she shoved a Four of Hearts into the fray.

And finally, Tai with a grin, revealed a Ace of Clubs.

He rubbed his hands together diabolically, "Drink up, princess." He poured out a very hearty shot for the brunette, handing it to her mischievously.

Mimi wrinkled her nose at the dark liquid. "Seriously, Tai. This is _so not_ a shot, it's like three!" She shoved his shoulder.

He just laid back down, "So, what'll it be?" He stared up at her, waggling his eyebrows.

She held her nose and drank the shot at once, shaking out a full body shiver as the liquid warmed her all the way down. "Do your worst, Kamiya." She said, a fearless glint in her eye.

"Eat the pizza that's been sitting in the back of the fridge for three weeks." He smirked.

Mimi almost threw up in her mouth just thinking about it.

"You're insane, that shit probably has mold on it." She was horrified.

"Yamato, would you do the honors?" Tai was undeterred.

"Sorry, Meems. Rules are rules." The blonde shrugged.

Mimi shot Sora a helpless look, "Any intervening from you would be appreciated, best friend." She implored.

The redhead shook her head, "I'm outnumbered!" She defended, by which time Matt had returned with the pizza.

Sure enough, there was something green and suspicious growing on the side of it. " _Bon appetit_ , Miss Tachikawa." Tai got up, grinning like a maniac.

"Hey, we've eaten worst in the digital world, M." Sora offered feebly.

Mimi lifted the slice, eyeing warily as if expecting for something to come out and eat her instead. "Tai, can you just ask me something instead." She wasn't past begging.

"Too late, princess." He said. "It's just a bite, do it and get it over with." He took a swig from the bottle just for the hell of it, before handing it to the blonde.

Matt knew better than to refuse Tai, so he just took it and took a swig as well, wincing at the bitter taste in his mouth.

Mimi closed her eyes, willing the old pizza in her mouth. It tasted like a mix of old cheese and cardboard and something very disgusting she didn't want to think about. When she finally swallowed it, she suppressed a gag before shoving the plate back at Matt.

"You are _so_ _dead_ , Kamiya." She glared.

Sora gave out the cards.

Four of Clubs for Matt.

Sora breathed out a sigh of relief when she turned over a Six of Diamonds.

Mimi saw a Five of Spades but gave Matt a satisfied grin in knowing he still held the lowest card.

"Yipee!" Tai slammed a King of Diamonds and pumped his fist. "Two in a row. Looks like my luck's turned around." He tried placing his head back in Mimi's lap but she shoved him off.

"Truth…or _Dare_ , Ishida." He handed Matt the bottle.

Matt pushed his hair out of his eyes, "Let's mix it up with a question." He said carelessly.

"Where do you keep your diary?"

Sora and Mimi collapsed into a fit of giggles and the vein in the side of Matt's forehead jumped to signal his annoyance.

"And don't bother saying you don't have one, I know you do."

Matt took a long gulp, feeling the alcohol burn its way down his esophagus.

"It's a fucking journal." He grunted. "In my sock drawer."

Tai looked like a kid on Christmas morning, while Sora and Mimi couldn't stop laughing. "Do you think Matt takes a class on how to be the perfect brooding musician?" The redhead ribbed.

"Ah yes, Tortured Artist 101—they offer it in the spring, don't they?" The brunette held her stomach, wiping the corner of her eyes.

"Haha, very funny. Keep 'em coming, assholes." Matt said sarcastically.

The three continued to laugh until Sora began to deal out the cards again.

Matt was safe with a Ten of Clubs.

Sora seemed okay, a solid Eight of Spades.

Mimi squealed at the sight of the Queen of Hearts, wondering if she would get to extract her revenge on the soccer star.

But Tai managed to stay alive, dramatically dropping a Ten of Spades into the pile.

Sora groaned.

"No one can be lucky forever, Red."

Sora rolled her eyes, "Go easy on me." She requested the brunette.

"Don't worry, you're not the one who will feel my wrath." She poured a shot for Sora who took it back like a champ.

"Ask me anything." She said a bit breathlessly.

Mimi tapped her chin, "A secret that none of us know about?" She raised a brow.

Sora was pensive for a few minutes, during which Matt and Tai exchanged the bottle between themselves.

"I had night terrors." She confessed in a small voice. "After we got back from the digital world. They were really bad, always the same thing with a different ending. Someone dying. Everyone dying. They would be so vivid I would wake up _screaming_. At one point my mom got so worried she sent me to a psychiatrist, one we definitely couldn't afford, but she just wanted me to feel better." She chewed her lip, her heart thumping against her ribcage so hard it was making her nauseous.

Mimi reached over, placing her hand over Sora's thigh.

"I guess, I guess we never really talked about any of it, you know? Everything we saw and had been through. I felt so… _damaged_ after we came back. Like there was a part of me that I had lost somewhere." She continued, her voice was level but ghosts of the past floated through her eyes. "The therapist didn't help much, I wasn't really comfortable talking to a stranger about things that were otherwise so imaginary, _delusional_ even. I was afraid she'd have me committed so I told my mom I wouldn't go back after the first session."

"Why didn't you say anything?" It was Matt, and he sounded angry. "To any of us? To _me_." He all but demanded in a gruff voice. "Sora, there was no way I would have let you go through that _alone_ if I'd known."

Sora shook her head, "I know, Matt. It wasn't about you. I just didn't know _what to say_." She sounded a little ashamed. "Everyone else just seemed relatively well adjusted, our lives were finally getting back to normal. I didn't want to bring everyone down. After all, it just seemed so silly to get everyone worked up over a few nightmares."

His brows furrowed. "You were wrong for that, Sora." He seemed genuinely disappointed, but Mimi knew Matt well enough to know it wasn't in Sora, he was disappointed in himself. "You should have told me." He repeated.

"I'm sorry, guys." Sora apologized, looking at all three of them on by one. "I really thought I'd be able to get through it on my own, that eventually they'd go away. I really didn't want to burden anyone with more bad news." She sighed.

"Sora…" Mimi said softly.

"How'd they end?" Tai asked, his voice strangely calm. " _Did_ they end?" He asked, Mimi looked at him quietly, taking in his stoic features. His eyes that were normally so expressive and full of mirth, right now unreadable.

Sora nodded, "It was Jyou." She said with a small, fond smile. "He uh, he saw me one day drawing under that big Sakura tree outside of _Miraikan_." She remembered. "I don't know, something about the way he had looked at me that day made me burst into tears. Perhaps it was because of how distant we had all become at that time, or because I hadn't seen him in _so long_ but I don't know, something just snapped. I told him everything about the night terrors and how I hadn't been sleeping and he just… he listened, so patiently." She finished.

Mimi saw some of the tension draining from Matt's face, she knew he was relieved that someone was able to give Sora the kind of emotional support she had needed at the time.

She was too, it killed her to think about how horrible that time had been for her—feeing so alone and helpless.

She crawled over to the redhead, enveloping her into a warm hug. "Love you, Sor." She whispered.

Sora let out a chuckle. "I love you too, M." She said gently.

"Sorry you had to drudge all that up, just so you know the dare I had planned for you was much easier." She joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Sora shook her head, "Nah, it's okay. I'm honestly glad I told you guys and I know now that I probably should have told you back then too."

Matt nodded tightly, feeling a sense of self-loathing wash over him. He should have known, he should have been there for her. He thought back on it, all the signs had been present, he just had been too preoccupied with himself to really notice. She was so strung out, always looking exhausted and disheveled. Her smiles were hollow and her eyes were empty.

Really, she shouldn't have even had to say anything at all— _he should have known._

Some friend he was.

His participation in the game was half-hearted after that, he hadn't gotten up and left solely because he didn't want to make Sora feel as if she chased him away by laying all that out. It was the opposite, Sora was courageous for telling them about her demons. He admired her for it. He just hated himself for not being a _friend_ when she had needed had one the most.

By the end of it, Tai had streaked bare ass around the block. Mimi had confessed to stealing lip gloss from _Sephora_ when she was fourteen, something that still haunted her to this day. And Matt told them a particularly embarrassing anecdote about his father catching a pornography tab open on his laptop when he was sixteen, he could barely finish the story over Tai's loud guffaws.

Somewhere in the middle the girls had raided the boys closets and chosen sleepwear that suited them, Sora had on a pair of Tai's loose practice red shorts and the tank top she'd been wearing underneath her sweater. While Mimi had opted for one of Matt's old teenage wolves bad tees, that had the sleeves missing and cut off midthigh. She'd always been a pants optional kind of girl, so she decided the shirt that was practically a dress on her wasn't too scandalous without bottoms.

When it was clear that the game was over, they'd thrown on a movie but when Sora was softly snoring ten minutes in, Tai had announced that maybe they should all call it a night. A quick glance at the time told them it was well past four in the morning.

Tai scooped the redhead into his arms.

"You can put her in my room, the girls can share my bed—I'll take the couch." Matt offered.

"Matt don't worry about it, we can seriously sleep out here, it'll be fine." Mimi protested, though she was hoping he wouldn't take her up on it.

Matt sent her a disbelieving glance, "How gracious of you, Mimi. But it's fine. One night on the couch won't kill me." He told her.

Sora shifted in Tai's arms, her face buried deeper into his shirt. He gave an appreciative nod to Matt, before disappearing down the hall.

He carefully laid her in Matt's bed, pulling the comforters over her. "I'm sorry I let you down, Red." He throat constricting painfully. "It will _never_ happen again." And with that, he pressed a soft kiss into her forehead.

Her hand reached out to grab his, "You didn't…you never do." She mumbled drunkenly. "I love you, Tai."

His eyes widened, his entire body going stiff as his heart lodging itself in his throat. But as quickly as the panic had set in, it left him. This was _Sora_ , of course she loved him and he loved her too. It was the same platonic love he'd had for her since he was a kid, it wasn't the same as the other kind, though. The kind that would have sent him running for the hills. Letting out a sigh of relief, he slipped his hand out of hers and softly padded out of the room.

-x-

Mimi cleaned up the deck of cards from the floor as Matt rearranged the pillows that had been thrown around haphazardly through the night.

She could tell he was tense and she was certain what he was mulling over.

Matt wasn't exactly an open book, but there were times when she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"You don't need to blame yourself about what happened with Sora, I know you do but you shouldn't." She mentioned quietly.

His head snapped up from where he had started cleaning a spill on the carpet. "I, yeah…" He trailed off. "It just sucks because I should have been a better friend to her. I owed her as much." He scrubbed the spot harder.

"You feel friendships more deeply, don't you?" She knew the answer to that, he was given that crest to bare for a reason. "As in, you feel responsible for them?" When he didn't say anything, she shook her head. "Regardless, I think you should know that Sora would never blame you for not knowing she needed someone to talk to. Just like I know she doesn't blame me. Don't beat yourself up over it, Matt. You're an amazing friend, you always have been." She finished brightly, tidying up the small wooden table.

"Thank you." He said simply, hoping her conveyed to her how much he needed her to say those things to him.

How grateful he was to hear it.

She didn't say anything else, just shot him a radiant smile that practically knocked all the air out of his lungs.

This girl was either an angel or the devil himself, and he wasn't sure which he preferred.

Mimi grabbed the almost finished bottle of whiskey, " _Jeez_ , this was not how I thought this night was going to go." She mentioned, swirling around the liquid at the bottom.

When she got to her feet she felt the effects of it, wobbling back and forth for a minute. Matt had rushed forward but she held a hand up. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Just got up too quickly." But actually, she was pretty drunk.

Not that it should have come as a surprise.

Slowly, she walked towards the kitchen, almost empty bottle still in hand. Matt trailed behind her, empty cups in his arms.

When he deposited the cups into the garbage, he noticed the bottle still in her grasp.

"Finish it off." He said, nodding towards it.

"No way." She already felt unsteady on her feet but that was the least of her problems.

Being alone with him was worse.

"Fine, let's split it. Why let it go to waste?" He dropped the cups into the garbage can before walking back towards her.

 _This air is getting so thin  
go down, go down, go down  
_

She could see it on his face, in his low lidded eyes, he was drunk and so was she. She took a few steps backwards, until her back was pressed against the counter top. And before she knew it, he was standing in front of her so close she could feel the heat radiating off of his body.

She wanted to ask him what he was doing, wanted to remind him of everything they had just talked about a mere few hours ago. But the words never came out, all she could think of was the proximity of his body to hers. How badly she wanted to feel his hands on her skin. How easy it would be to reach her head up and place her lips over his.

Her eyes met his, she saw all the same things in them that she knew she was feeling.

Lust. Temptation. _Desire_.

 _The honey whiskey's kickin' in  
Go down, go down, go down_

Without breaking eye contact, she wet her lips with her tongue—slow and tortuous with a knowing smirk ghosting over her features. She brought the bottle up languidly, taking a sip before pressing it into his chest.

Matt reached up, his fingers curling around hers as well as the neck of the bottle. Electricity shot through his fingertips at the slightest touch of their hands and he knew he wasn't in control of his own body anymore.

And it was the worst idea he had ever had, but right now he didn't care. He could taste the remnants of her vanilla lip gloss and there was something else that he wanted to be the taste of her that mingled with the harsh whiskey in his mouth. Once every single drop had been finished, he reached an arm around, placing the bottle on the counter top behind her.

 _I think I better go,  
before I try something I might regret_

Both his palms rested on either side of her now, caging her between the counter and his body. She wouldn't be able to leave now. But escaping was the last thing on her mind, in fact there was nothing on her mind except him.

Mimi felt emboldened, energized by the sparks crackling between them, her skin humming to life under his molten blue gaze. Something inside her had sprung to life, liberating her darkest inhibitions, encouraging her most sinister thoughts, her mind ignoring reality as it into the things that made up her fantasies.

She had wanted this for so long, she had ignored it for even longer—but he was here and he was in front of her and for the first time in a long time it didn't seem so complicated.

And maybe if she were in her right mind she would have thought this was the most terrible idea in the world but thankfully she wasn't and whatever repercussions may come, she would deal with them tomorrow.

Her eyes locked with his, daring him to move. Tantalizing him with a seductive smile. She shifted her weight, a bare leg rubbing against his as one of her fingers trailed over his exposed arms. "Your move, Ishida. What are you going to do?" She quirked an eyebrow at him, her husky voice sending all rational thoughts into oblivion.

"Depends on the rules, princess." He said smoothly.

"There are none." She raised her chin confidently.

"You might want to be wiser with your words, Mimi. Forgoing rules could get you into trouble."

She lowered his face so he was close enough to taste. "Maybe I want to." Her breath teased his ear lobe.

And if he'd had any doubts before, it was very clear now that she knew exactly what she was doing and was very aware of how much her actions affected him.

He suppressed a groan, "I've been wanting to do something for a really long time." He confessed, his voice was strained as he trailed a finger along the side of her face, feeling her shiver as he drew it over her neck.

She stood up on her tippy toes so she was pressed against him enough to where she could feel something rather hard pushing into her abdomen. "Do it then." She whispered across his lips.

And all at once, there was nothing he could do about the feral impulse that ripped through him. A hand was behind her head to steady her and his lips crashed down onto hers.

 _This black heart angel's calling  
with kisses on my lips  
there's poison in the water  
and the words keep falling out_

 _I think I better go_  
 _before I try something I might regret…_

-x-

A/N: SORRY FOR TAKING A MONTH TO UPDATE. As always, I was confused about how and when and where to end this chapter. The beginning and end were kinda easy it was the damn middle that always trips me up. **Yes, this chapter was Mimato heavy and YES THEY FINALLY KISSED** (Spoiler alert, but not really since hopefully you've all read the chapter before reading this)  
YOU HAVE TO TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS CHAPTER BECAUSE SERIOUSLY I WAS SUPER CONFUSED IF I RUSHED THE KISS! But I really thought it was the right time.

I have a few references to get out of the way before I forget.  
 **1\. Stairway to Heaven and Highway to Hell are both songs (not mine)  
2\. Miraiken is a museum in Odaiba (I don't know if there's a big sakura tree outside of it, but I thought it made for good imagery.)  
3\. Sephora is a makeup store in the states.**

I'm not sure if I missed anything, but feel free to ask me.

So it's currently 4:30AM here right now as I'm writing this so needless to say I'm not in the right mind to reply to the reviews, but I will do one of two things. **Either I can reply to both Ch13reviews and this chapter's reviews in the next chapter, or I can PM you individually. Let me know what you would prefer in your review,** I LOVE REPLYING AND TALKING AND CONVERSING WITH YOU GUYS SO SERIOUSLY TELL ME BECAUSE ITS LIKE WE'RE FRIENDS AND I FEEL WEIRD NOT PUTTING IT IN AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER LIKE I NORMALLY DO.

Sorry there's so many caps, and sorry I'm rambling so much, like I said it's 4freaking30 in the morning and I am so sleep deprived but I wanted to get this out because I love you guys and yeah.

So in case I haven't said it enough, THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO AND ALL YOUR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT AND LOVE AND MOTIVATION (oops there I go with the caps again) I swear I'm not yelling, I'm just excited.

Drop me a review and let me know what you though, I'm so sorry for this obscenely long A/N, I will totally understand if you ignored most of it.

Lastly, the song I used at the end is called _Honey Whiskey_ by _Nothing But Thieves_ , if you get the chance to **reread that part with Matt and Mimi in the kitchen, play that song in the background** —I swear it'll change the whole scene for you and you'll totally get the vibe I was going for.

Til next time!


	15. Welcome to the Fallout

" **Slow Burn"** _(def.): an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time._

-x-

 **Chapter Fifteen:** _Welcome to the Fallout_

-x-

 _Tell myself just breathe, just breathe you in…_

Every inch of her skin was on fire and behind her eyes were bursts of colors like fireworks exploding against a dark sky. Her heart felt as if it was a cadence away from tearing through her clothes, the blood rushing through her ears like waves crashing against jagged rocks. And all she could feel were his hands and his mouth and the way her body came _alive_ under his touch.

He was magic, he was madness.

He was heaven, he was sin.

And in all her clouded misguidance, in every tumultuous emotion and confused caress was something she could no longer ignore.

Whatever was happening was probably wrong but God, did it feel _right_.

Kissing her was even beyond his wildest expectations. He had never actually thought about what it would be like, he had never let his mind get that far. But now, holding her, touching her, being this close to her—all he could think was how he hadn't done this sooner. How could he have deprived himself of such perfection. The way her body molded into his, her fingertips tracing embers across every part of him.

 _I won't let you leave, don't leave me here_

If he had ever deluded himself into believing they could be 'just friends', it was all out the window now. He was too far gone to turn back around.

He realized what he'd been missing for so long and the urge to devour her ripped through him like a wildfire.

His mouth moved haphazardly down her chin, his grip tightening around her. Suddenly, her legs were locked around his waist and he was clearing the counter. A second later, he had her on it and there was a feral impulse that took over. The tepidness had disappeared from her touch, as her hands glided over him with unabashed fervor.

His lips drifted to her neck, teeth scraping against the soft flesh, enamored with her sweetness. She rubbed herself against him and he groaned into her skin. His mouth leaving ragged, open mouthed kisses along her flesh, her fair skin turning darkening under his callous lips.

Mimi dug her fingers into his soft blonde hair, her free hand tugging at the bottom of his shirt. He reached the hollow of her throat, his tongue darting out as he pushed himself against her. A mewling sound escaped her, hot and throaty against his ear.

"Matt." She rasped breathlessly.

 _Don't you know I need you now?_

He pulled away from her, blue eyes blinking as if they were seeing her for the first time.

And in some ways, maybe he was. She was the embodiment of everything beautiful and divine—the Goddess Aphrodite in all her swollen lips and porcelain skin and lustful eyes.

She was perfection.

His eyes dropped from her mussed hair to slender neck, down to her chest where her perfect breasts were rising and falling at a rapid pace. And when his eyes traveled the length of her body, he had to suppress a groan at the long legs that were dangling over the counter.

He wanted her, he wanted her so bad it physically hurt.

He wanted to claim every inch of her for himself, swallow her whole and disappear inside her all at the same time.

 _Don't you know I need you now?_

He moved back in and reclaimed her lips with renewed vigor, a hand on her thigh drawing close to the hem on her, rather his, shirt. Internally, all he could do was marvel at the smoothness of her skin and how deeply entrenched he was in her scent and how he couldn't remember if there was ever a woman before her that could have come close to being comparable.

If he would ever be able to settle for _anyone else_ after her.

Boldly, her tongue snuck into his mouth with the lithe prowess of a lioness. And while he had thought it impossible, when she decided to take that little bit of control from him, he hardened painfully against her. It was almost she was challenging him, and he never could resist a challenge. His hand wound its way into her hair, gripping the back of her head with a fistful of curls.

His other hand began to slowly push up the shirt she was wearing, his heart quickening at every second, as his fingers drew closer and closer to her. It was only when he'd caught a hint of the silky piece of fabric underneath that one of her hands came up to his chest, barely pushing him back but relaying a message all the same.

"Is this really how you want it to happen, _us_?" She whispered. "We can, I want to—God, I want to _so bad_. But like _this_?" It was a sincere question, one laden with insecurity and hesitation.

It was like being doused with a bucket of ice water.

She regretted the words the second they came out and as he backed away from her she could feel the cold enveloping her immediately.

She missed his warmth, his touch and God, did she miss his lips.

But she knew that if she hadn't stopped him now, even though it took every inch of her self-control to do it, she wouldn't have been able to at all.

She wanted him, fiber of her being was calling out to him, it was as if just the simple act of kissing him had unleashed something inside her that refused to be caged back in. It was like being free of a weight that had been hanging around her neck since the second she got back into town. And all she wanted was to be back in his embrace, to get lost in him and all the feelings he had woken in her.

But with all the exhilaration and reckless abandon came _fear_.

As much as he fascinated her, ensnared her body and mind, kept her emotions reeling from one extreme to the next— _he_ _terrified_ _her_.

And there was no way she would be able to deny that she had wanted everything that happened tonight, it was a shock they'd been able to hold out this long, but she wasn't sure about what would come next. It was too uncertain and before they went there, went _that_ far, she needed to make sure that everything wouldn't be lost.

Because one thing was certain in all this, Mimi knew that sex would probably mean something different to her than it did to him.

And she just didn't want to take that chance.

She was fragile and emotional, flighty and she got attached too easily.

She was never careful enough with her heart and when it would get broken he would always be there to pick up the pieces with her. But if he were the one to break it…

She wasn't sure she would _ever_ be able to recover from that.

He pulled a hand through his hair, "I… no. You're right. I'm sorry, for getting so carried away." He apologized thickly.

"Don't be, it's honestly okay." Mimi waived a hand dismissively. "I just…" She stopped to take a deep breath in. "Matt, I really don't want things to get weird now." And even as she requested it, she was unsure of what she meant.

Because how the hell weren't they going to be weird, after everything that just happened.

"Yeah, me either."

She slid off the counter, "I don't regret it." She told him with full honesty. "Really. So you shouldn't feel like you did anything wrong. I just think that if anything else happens, it should be when we both know exactly what we're doing." She wanted to remember every second of it, be completely certain and entirely coherent.

She wanted to be sure and secure and she needed to know that their relationship, complicated and infuriating as it was, wouldn't suffer irreparably.

Because there was just so much more to them than _this_.

And there was no way she would reduce them, everything they had been through and all their history, to a drunken one night stand in the Loft's kitchen.

"I don't regret it either, Mimi. I just don't know what to make of it." He shrugged a shoulder. "And it _really_ doesn't help me think straight when you're standing in front of me looking like… _that_." He threw his head back with a groan, eyes squeezed shut.

She was all legs and exposed flesh and he was having a hard enough time not thinking about the fact that just mere seconds ago those perfect, glorious, amazing legs had been wrapped around him like a second skin.

She felt a blush rising to her cheeks, "Right…sorry." She tugged at the ends of his shirt.

The silence grew between them as the second hand ticked on. He saw as her brows began to furrow, her bottom lip sucked between her teeth, hands twisting aimlessly around each other as her eyes darted around the tiled floor.

He sighed, taking a few purposeful strides forward. "I know what you're thinking." His presence startled her, but she didn't look up. "And it won't happen." He put his hands on her shoulders.

She muttered something unintelligible and he knew that for the first time he would have to do all the talking. It was going to be uncomfortable and God, he hated emotions but he would for her because she was so vulnerable and so adorable and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her.

"I'm not going anywhere okay? And that put up the wall I usually build when things start getting out of my depth, well I won't let it come between us." He said resolutely.

She looked up, eyes widening with surprise.

"I'm not oblivious to my tendencies, Mimi." He said as if it were obvious. "I do things a certain way because it's easier for me to process. But I know it hurts when I push you away, I won't do that this time." He promised.

"Can I trust that?"

"Do you trust me?"

"With my life." She said, without really even thinking about it.

A relieved smile washed over him, "Whatever this is, Mimi, we'll figure it out." He brushing her hair behind her ears.

And even that gesture, one that had been so incredibly platonic and brotherly at one point, now felt _different_.

Loaded with ambiguity, bogged down by meaning.

"Everything's going to change now, isn't it?" She asked softly.

His hand dropped out of her hair, "In some ways, yeah." He answered. "But some things won't ever change."

"Like?"

"Like how much I care about you, above everything else. I _won't_ be the one to hurt you, Mimi." He tucked a gentle hand under her chin, coaxing her into looking at him. "Not now or ever, for that matter."

He knew that some things couldn't be conveyed no matter how meaningful the words might be, he just hoped she understood all the same.

Her gaze met his, "I'm always going to care about you too, Matt." She admitted. "More than I've ever cared about anyone, really." He was everything to her.

She pulled him into a hug before he could say much else, her arms squeezing around him so tight as if he might slip away at any moment. And with her face buried so deeply in his chest, she drowned herself in him—because this was her safest space.

Here, where all she could hear was his heart beat and feel the familiar weight of his arms around her. It was everything she craved when it felt like nothing else made sense.

He was the sun, the center of her universe, keeping all things in their right place.

"Now what?" She muttered into his shirt.

"I have no idea." He said.

"You know, all this could have been so much simpler if you hadn't been sucha good kisser." She chastised playfully.

A low chuckle escaped him, "I could probably file the same complaint against you." He countered.

"We probably shouldn't make a habit of it, though." She said more seriously. "The whole kissing thing, I mean." She cleared her throat shyly.

Matt let her pull away from him, "Afraid?" He raised his brows teasingly.

"Of?"

"That you won't be able to stop so easily next time." He gave her a lopsided grin.

One that was equally enticing as it was annoying. "Hardly." She let out a snort. "And there won't _be_ a next time."

"I wouldn't bet on that, Tachikawa."

"You shouldn't, Ishida. Because you'd lose."

"Is that right?" He asked, a competitive glint in his brilliant blue eyes.

Mimi squared her shoulders, "Do you really think you're that _tempting_?" She kinked a brow. "Because I hate to bruise your ego, but you're really not that hard to resist."

"Well, you didn't do a very good job tonight." He smirked.

Her face twisted into a glare. "And on that note, I'm going to bed." She shoved his chest.

"Perfect, I'll join you." He winked.

Mimi rolled her eyes, "Sorry, Sora's got dibs." She said.

"It's fine, I can put her Tai's room. Besides, I'm way more fun to cuddle."

"Sounds _soooo_ enticing, but I'll have to decline."

"Your loss, Tachikawa."

"I think I'll survive it."

"I'll see you in the morning." He said with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

She clasped her hands behind her back, "Yes, breakfast with a side of residual awkwardness from a drunken make out session. Wouldn't miss it." She said flatly.

"A really _good_ make out session though."

" _Good night_ , Ishida." She said pointedly.

He gave her wave, stopped at the bathroom door as he watched her disappear into his bedroom. She closed the door without a second glance and he let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

He knew the second he'd be on the couch all he'd be able to think about would be what just happened and he didn't want to come off the high of it just yet. There would be uncertainty and doubt and self- loathing that would inevitably settle in his bones, dragging him down and trying to get him to regret all of this and he just didn't want to deal with all that just yet.

There would be a fallout, he wasn't naive enough to believe otherwise, but what was the harm in prolonging the inevitable just a little while longer.

Mimi laid beside Sora, pulling the covers up to her chest, arms folded over her stomach. She tried, in vain, to shut her eyes and begged for sleep to overcome her. But it was futile, her eyes snapped open and stared at the ceiling. All she could smell was him—on the sheets, on this pillow, in this damn room. And all she wanted was to jump out of bed and seek out the security of his touch. Share that tiny couch with him, his arms wound around her so tight she wouldn't know where he began and bury herself so deep in him she'd never find the surface.

But she couldn't do that, she couldn't do any of it.

She was happy that the kiss hadn't made things super weird. That they could sort of laugh it off and at the very least speak of it openly as oppose to shoving it beneath the rug that was probably the size of a mountain by now with everything they'd swept under it already. But none of that was enough, not even a little, because it had been minutes since she had left and she already missed him so terribly she could barely stand it.

She let out an aggravated sigh, his bed was the last place she should be right now.

Mimi opened the door a crack, the pitch blackness of the living room alerted her that he was already on the couch and she hoped, fast asleep.

Silently, she tip toed out of the room and into Tai's.

Slipping into bed beside the brunette, she elbowed her way into the comforter, shoving and kicking him until he rolled over. Of course, none of her poking and prodding was enough to wake him up and for once she was grateful that he slept like a log. Finally, she allowed herself to turn on her side, back to Tai, and tried to quietly fall asleep

But the only problem was, she couldn't fall asleep. Not when all she could think about was how Yamato Ishida was a few feet away from her, and the only thing separating his skin from her was this damn door. And it took every fiber in her being not to go to him, it was wrong.

It was over.

It happened once, they got it out of their system.

It would never happen again.

 _Feels like  
we both know this night has ended  
Daylight  
Finds me feeling almost gone…_

-x-

He felt like he had just closed his eyes, finally fallen into a slumber, when he was woken by the loud thumping of someone knocking at the door.

Trying to ignore them, willing them to go away, he rolled onto his stomach and shoved the pillow he was sleeping on over his ears. But it was no use, whoever was on the other side of his door was persistent and there was no getting them to go away.

He opened one eye to squint at the time on his phone, _11:12 AM_ flashed back at him.

Grumbling profanities under his breath, wondering if he had even slept at all the entire night, Matt grudgingly got up from the too small couch to open the door.

He hoped that whoever was on the other side had a list of good reasons to be here right now, he was in no mood for unnecessary company.

He flung open the door, only to be left slack jawed a second later.

" _Surprise_!" Kari squealed, a tray of banana bread held out in offering. "Good morning, sleepy head!" She said cheerfully.

From behind her, TK scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Hey bro, hope we're not interrupting. I told Kar we shoulda called first." He said apologetically.

"And I said that was nonsense." She chastised over she shoulder. "We do not need any prior notice to surprise our brothers." And with that, she pushed her petite frame passed Matt.

"The place is a mess." Matt cringed.

"By your standards." TK laughed, clapping his older brother on the shoulder. "How've you been, man?"

"I've been better." He admitted, "Still good to see you though." He said honestly, because it was only when he saw TK that he realized how much he truly missed him.

TK came in with a shopping bag in each arm, "Hey, Kar. Where do you want all this?" He asked the pixie-like brunette, who had busied herself with tidying up the kitchen.

"Just leave it on the counter, thanks." She smiled.

Matt wandered around the kitchen, taking a corner piece of the banana bread, the aroma of which was slowly beginning to waft through the house. "God, Kari. This is amazing." He told her, Kari was an exceptional cook.

"Thank you, but you're ruining my presentation so please contain yourself."

Matt chuckled, heading out of the kitchen and into the living room, where TK had turned on the TV. "So why are you on the couch?" He raised his brows.

"Long story." Matt muttered. "The girls are sleeping in my room."

"Girls!" Kari, who for all intents and purposes had not been paying attention to any of the conversation until that very sentence. "As in plural?"

"Girls as in Sora and Mimi."

TK laughed while Kari's expression immediately brightened, "Yay! That's even better." She chirped happily. "It's a good thing I packed extra."

"Yes, if by extra you mean enough to feed a small village." TK jested.

"My brother is a small village, I should've packed more." She sighed ruefully.

TK let out a laugh.

"So, where's Aeris?"

"Home, she's got two wickedly hard exams coming up. She's been holed up like a hermit for the last two weeks."

"Well, perhaps some of her dedication will rub off on your lazy ass."

"Funny, but I do recall a certain Ishida walking into his last high school exam still drunk from the night before."

"I aced that exam."

TK had only just opened his mouth to fire off a playful rebuttal when movement at the threshold of the room caught his eye. "What happened last night?" Sora moaned, eyes still closed, hand tangled in her curls rubbing the side of her head.

"Sora!" Kari clapped happily, bounding out of the kitchen.

Sora had barely gotten her eyes open when she was enveloped in a familiar, bone crushing hug. "Kari! What are you doing here!"

"I could ask you the same thing, Sor." Kari giggled. "Me and TK just wanted to come up for the weekend and visit Tai and Matt." She explained, as they let go.

"Yes and not Davis?" Sora raised an eyebrow.

At the mention of her boyfriend, a light pink blush rose in the petite brunette's cheeks. "Well, obviously. But…"

"I'm kidding, but you're adorable. Now what did you bring to eat because whatever I smell is heavenly and I am in dire need of sustenance right now." She was practically salivating.

"Just give me ten minutes to reheat everything, in the meantime—shouldn't someone get my brother and Mimi?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised you woke up but she didn't." TK noticed. "I remember her being quite the light sleeper back in the DW."

Sora plopped down on the sofa beside Matt. "Beats me. She wasn't in bed when I woke up." She said with a shrug.

Matt turned to face the redhead, "She wasn't?" He asked, wide eyed.

"Was she supposed to be…?" She asked with confusion.

"Uh, from someone on the opposite end of this conversation, it sounds like Mimi's missing. Should we be concerned?" Kari called from the kitchen.

"Mimi's not missing, guys. That's just insane. She's a person not a puppy." Matt tried to quell the hysteria before it reached dramatic proportions.

Which seemed to approaching very quickly given the girls reactions.

"Maybe she just got up before you and she's in the bathroom, freshening up." TK suggested.

"Maybe…" Sora said squeezing her eyes shut. "You have any advil here, rockstar? I'm dying right now."

"Yeah, but I think it's in Tai's room. I'll go get it." Matt offered.

"Thank you, friend." Sora said appreciatively.

"Wake him up while you're at it, Matt?" Kari asked. "Tell him breakfast is ready." She winked.

Matt chuckled on his way out.

He wasn't really sure what he had been expecting to find on the other side of Tai's bedroom door, maybe just a really big mess and haphazardly thrown around soccer cleats.

What he got was something he wasn't even remotely prepared for.

Mimi in bed…

With Tai.

Immediately it was as if someone had taken a baseball bat to his stomach, all the air leaving his lungs. He had never realized it before, but in this moment he was sure there wasn't a worse feeling in the world. He felt a wave of nausea crash around him as the urge to smash his fist into the nearest object ripped through his veins.

And fuck, she looked so beautiful. So peaceful. Her caramel tresses spread around her evenly like a crown...like a halo.

Suddenly and inexplicably, he realized how badly he wished to be Tai right now. And he wasn't even touching her, it wasn't as if they were in the least bit intimate. He was just there, sleeping beside her and still, he would trade places with the soccer star in an instant. Just to be so close to her.

He shook out those thoughts, he wasn't supposed to be having them. He knew that what happened last night had complicated an already overly complicated situation, but he couldn't do a thing about the war that was raging inside him.

Wordlessly, Matt backed out of the room. Pasting himself against the wall, he pulled out his phone from his pocket.

 _Found Mimi. A little back up would be nice…_

He was sure he wouldn't need to explain the situation to Sora, or why it wouldn't want to go in there alone. He just hoped she had her phone on her.

He let out a relieved breath when he saw three dots bubble immediately.

 _Tai's room? No way…_

Matt glared at the phone.

 _Any day now, Takenouchi…_

He heard shuffling in the other room, and within moments Sora was beside him. "You really don't need to be here for this." Sora said. "Go wash up, I can handle Hurricane Taichi."

"You haven't seen him in the morning in a while, Sor. He's much worse now than ever." Matt grinned.

"You underestimate me, Ishida. Tai may be the big man on campus in everyone else's eyes, but I've seen him scream bloody murder in the face of a spider, I've got this covered."

"I really do forget how much you have over him…and me." Matt said uncomfortably. "You're kinda scary."

Sora smirked, "Well, you should try to stay on my good side then, huh?" She kinked a brow.

"Definitely." Matt gulped. "I'm just gonna go use the bathroom now."

-x-

Sober, showered and coherent, Matt felt much less sure about seeing Mimi than he had last night, when the only thing on his mind had been the softness of her lips and the touch of her skin. Now, all he could think about were the consequences of those lips and that skin.

It was worth it though, he decided, because even now with the pangs of regret setting in, he had never felt more alive than he did last night. She had brought something out in him that he hadn't felt in a really long time, if ever.

Reckless abandon.

Throwing caution to the wind.

Living in the moment, damning the consequences.

Whatever the words, however it was phrased, he had acted out of character but it was what he had needed. Nothing had ever felt more liberating than not worrying about what was going to come next.

He would never completely regret that.

But he hated how he couldn't stop thinking about her, because even now, all he could think about was what it would be like to kiss her again, this time sober, with full cognition.

He mussed his damp hair in the mirror, before glancing at his reflection for a final time.

As soon as he left the restroom, he was met with the image of Mimi Tachikawa, still dressed in nothing but his old band tee and a pair of tube socks. Immediately, he tried to turn tail and hide in his room. Surely no one would think it out of the ordinary if he napped, after all, how good of a night's sleep could he have gotten on the couch anyway…

But of course, it wouldn't be his best friend if he didn't inadvertently make his life harder by simply existing. "Finally, bro. Kari won't let us start breakfast until everyone's together." Tai half whined, half complained.

Mimi's eyes met his immediately, he briefly noticed the way she had her neck cocked to the right side, her fingers desperately combing through her hair. She got off the backward stool on the opposite side of the counter, heading in his direction.

" _Finally_." She hissed, "I've been needing to cover this up forever." She pulled down the collar of the t-shirt she was wearing to reveal an angry red mark on her neck.

His eyes widened, "Sorry." He muttered, trying to make the exchange look as comfortable as possible since it seemed like all eyes were on them.

"Keep your teeth to yourself, Ishida. Marking people is _so_ _not_ cool." She gave him a shove before disappearing into the bathroom.

He winced as the door shut with a slam, drawing in a deep breath he went into the living room.

"Aw great! Now Mimi's gone! Kari, please? I'm going to _die_." He begged dramatically.

The petite brunette laughed, clearly enjoying the torture she was inflicting on her older brother. "I'm sure she won't be long."

"Have you met Mimi!" He balked in disbelief. "She found a way to take a two hour bath in a river!" He cried out.

TK chuckled, "Well, he's got a point, Kar." He aided the wild haired brunette.

To settle the debate, Mimi poked her head out of the bathroom door. "Hey, Kari. I love you for wanting to wait for me but it's okay to start. I wouldn't want Tai to go into a coma from undernourishment." She rolled her eyes.

Sora giggled.

"If you're sure?"

"I am, I'll be out in ten." She promised.

Matt surveyed the spread Kari had set up on the dinner table, equipped with eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes of three different varieties, fresh fruits, French toast with powdered sugar, oatmeal all topped off by her famous banana bread.

Feeling his stomach begin to grumble, he could hardly even blame Tai for not being able to wait anymore. It was a miracle the guy even made it this long.

The food looked amazing.

By the time Mimi had emerged from the bathroom, they had settled in the sitting room with their plates.

Fishing around the back of the refrigerator, she found a half empty bottle of vodka. "I'm making mimosas, any takers?" She called from the kitchen.

"Me please, I could really use one." Sora said immediately.

"I'll have one." Kari piped up.

"Kari!" Tai yelped. "Mimosas have… _vodka_ in them." He whispered wide-eyed.

Kari rolled her bright brown eyes at her brother's annoying overprotective attitude. "Believe it or not, Tai, I was already aware of that." She deadpanned.

TK and Matt snickered at that.

Tai grumbled under his breath, but was too distracted by his breakfast to say any more.

Mimi came into the sitting room, balancing two glasses and her plate in two hands. She handed the glass to Sora, before taking the open seat beside TK.

She didn't even look in his direction, let alone speak a word to him, yet all he could do was think of her. It was as if everything else around him had suddenly just... _stopped_ and the only thing left in his world was her. Everyone else faded to black and she was his color, with her perfect alabaster skin and her honeydew eyes and perfect strawberry lips. She threw her head back in laughter, something TK had said, maybe it was Tai, he had no idea just that she was enchantingly beautiful when she laughed like that.

He wanted to make her laugh like that.

He knew the night before was bound to complicate things, but he hadn't imagined it being so complicated _for him._ Perhaps it was prideful, sheer arrogance, but he really had assumed that he would be the one walking away with the least amount of collateral damage. He was the one that easily compartmentalized emotions, he was the one that was good at keeping feelings repressed, _she_ was the one that wore her heart on her sleeve.

So why, all of a sudden, did it feel as if she was holding all the cards, while his were face up on the table.

It wasn't as if she was ignoring him though either, she was perfectly… _normal._

So normal, that if they hadn't had that brief exchange by the bathroom he would have thought the events of the night before had been a dream.

Why was this so easy for her?

Why wasn't she plagued by thoughts of him the way that he was right now.

She was stuck on his mind and it seemed like he was the furthest thing from hers.

"This breakfast was seriously _amazing_ , Kari." Mimi gushed. "You need to give me the recipe for your pancakes—they're so _fluffy_." She closed her eyes, lips pursed together in pure ecstasy.

"What are you gonna do with that recipe, Meems, frame it?" Tai smirked. "Because Lord help us all if you ever tried to use it."

Mimi scowled. "Shut it, Tai. I'll have you know I've only burnt like three percent of the things I've cooked my whole life." She stuck her tongue out.

"I'm sure the sample size for that statistic isn't nearly large enough to be reliable."

Sora rolled her eyes, shoving Tai's shoulder. "Taichi and I will clean up, Kar." She offered.

"We will?" He stared at the redhead with disbelief.

"Yes, we _will_." She repeated with a hard stare. "It's the least we can do when Kari did so much for us."

Tai's grumbling was interrupted by a loud rapping at the door. "I'll get that." Kari said brightly, getting up before anyone could object.

"I'm gonna run to the bathroom." TK said, leaving the space he had been occupying between Matt and Mimi vacant.

And just like that, everyone was somewhere else and they were so abruptly alone.

Her gaze met his, his electric blue eyes sending currents pulsating through her nerves. Matt had only opened his mouth to say something, when he shut it promptly interrupted by the door opening.

The unmistakable baritone of Daisuke Motomiya barreled through the Loft. " _There she is_!" He grabbed the petite brunette in his arms the moment she was within grasp. "Hello, beautiful." He grinned, before lifting her off the ground and capturing her lips with his own.

Sora busied Tai with a pile of dishes to distract him from the lip locked reunion taking place in the doorway.

"Seriously, D. I get it, but can you let us get in before you mount her right here in the hallway—

The dishes clanked to the ground. " _Mount her_?" Tai's voice cut through the air, "Akiyama, that's my baby sister. And Motomiya, you've got three seconds to remove your mouth from said sister before I _remove_ _your_ _head from your body_." He growled.

Davis pulled away with a jolt, while Ryo and Ken just snickered behind him.

A bright red blush coated Kari's face. "Come in guys, we just had breakfast." She said, hiding her face shyly behind her short brown hair.

Ryo came in first, ruffling Kari's hair in the process. "Don't worry about Tai, kiddo. I'll handle him." He said with a gentle smile. "D.M, why don't you take your lady on a proper date?" He prompted shortly.

"But... practice." He said, with a crestfallen expression on his face.

Kari, who looked equally as dejected, said nothing.

Ryo put a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "I'll talk to coach... and Sam." He offered. "Take the day, it's not all the time you get to see your girl."

"Thanks man!" Davis fist pumped enthusiastically. "You heard that, baby? We've got the whole day to ourselves!" He said excitedly.

If looks could kill…

"Chill out, T. They've been dating forever. You gotta let it go." Ryo said with a laugh.

Once inside, Ryo's eyes fell on Mimi who was glued to her cell phone. Matt got up to greet the Davis and Ken, offering a quick nod to Ryo before walking into the kitchen with Tai and Sora. TK had rejoined the group and greeted his friends with surprise, as the four of them spoke animatedly and casually.

Ryo grabbed Mimi's phone from her hand simultaneously sitting in seat beside her. "Hey!" She yelled, her eyes widening when she realized who it was.

"Oh, well good to know this thing still works." He elbowed her lightly, holding the phone out of her reach. "You've just been using it to ignore me."

"Untrue." She reached over him to try to get it back, but he held it out of her grasp.

"Very true, I had asked you to come see me before you left… no response."

"I didn't know where you were, Akiyama. Besides, you could have just as easily came to me." She rolled her eyes.

"You never asked."

"Ah, so if I would've, then you would've?"

"Probably not, but now you'll never know."

"And that will keep me up at night."

Mimi stuck him with a withering stare, "Mind giving me back what's mine, now?" She asked, arms crossed over chest.

"For a price." He said with a wicked grin.

Her face fell flat. "What?" She asked in a tone equally as flat.

Ryo tapped his cheek.

"You can't be serious."

But he didn't say anything, just continued to wait.

Mimi took glanced into the kitchen, where Matt was standing with his back to her, quickly she gave him a peck on the cheek before snatching her phone out of Ryo's grasp.

Satisfied, Ryo sunk back into the couch. "Nice threads, by the way. _The Teenage Wolves_." He read with an amused smirk.

"Yama's band, they're on hiatus right now but their music is like…" Her tone took on a dreamy quality as she went shamelessly starry eyed over the boy band. "Oh I sure hope they get back together soon." She pouted.

The smirk fell off Ryo's face immediately. "Ah, so you have a penchant for musicians." He said quietly.

Mimi turned her head, "What girl doesn't?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, in that case, you should know that I took drum lessons until I was about fourteen." He said with playful boasting.

Mimi laughed, "Take me now." She mock swooned.

"Listen _T.E_ —I could take you in a game of basketball any day, any way, any court. Name the time and place." Davis said loudly, effectively silencing any side conversations that were going on.

Kari had a hand on her forehead, while Ken just looked entertained at Davis and TK who were standing head to head engaged in a fierce battle of "who's better" mostly perpetuated by Davis.

"Here and now, there's a park with a full court down the block. I've got a basketball in my car." T.K offered leisurely.

Which only seemed to get Davis madder. " _You're on_." He huffed.

Kari, who knew arguing would be futile, just sighed. "So much for getting to spend the whole day together, huh, _baby_?"

Davis took her by the shoulders, "I'll be quick, beautiful." He promised. "T.J's light work."

"You know, Davis. Pretending you don't know T.K's name by now isn't nearly as clever as it was when we were twelve." Ken pointed out with a chuckle.

Davis chose to vehemently ignore that statement.

From across the kitchen, all a certain blonde could do was restrain himself from breaking the glass that was in his grasp. Watching Ryo Akiyama effortlessly flirt with the girl he had just had on this very counter mere hours before was making him damn near homicidal.

All he wanted to do was take Mimi by the hand, drag her to his bedroom, kiss her senseless and send Akiyama packing.

But he couldn't do that, he wasn't allowed to.

She was his friend, his best friend, and last night didn't do anything but complicate the situation, there was no clarity, their entire relationship was clouded in a shroud of obscurity and yet he felt as if she owed him more than to be flirting with someone else right in front of his face.

This girl was driving him absolutely insane, she had him completely undone and she had _no fucking idea_.

 _Around and around…  
you're turning my world upside down  
I've got you stuck on my mind  
And it's driving me crazy. _

-x-

 **A/N** : Soooo maybe this is like an awkward place to end the chapter, maybe it's not, but I wanted to leave it in, so this is what it is LOL. Anyway, the next chapter will obviously pick up somewhere near here, so it'll be fluid. The next chapter will have a bit more insight on how Mimi feels, what she's thinking since the latter half was pretty Yama heavy.

SO HOW DID MY LOVELY READERS LIKE THIS CHAPTER? See, it was SO MUCH MORE than a kiss…and like, I couldn't have it being an awkward interaction, especially right away so this is what felt right to me. I hope you guys feel the same way and that it did justice to the penultimate moment of the story thus far.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

Once again it's 430am as I'm updating this but I just had to get it out, please forgive me for anything I missed or any mistakes I'm seriously delirious.

You guys are soooo amazing, by the way. I know just about every is so busy with their own lives and of course we all have priorities but it means so much that you all take the time out to read and review my work, it's so inspiring to me and it makes me work so much harder to give you guys updates that are the best that I can do. There as a bit longer of a wait between chapters this time (was there?) but I wanted it to be as good as I could possibly make it.

AHHH, I'm so happy most of you really got the vibe I was going for for the kitchen scene, I poured over that scene, I mean it was seriously blood, sweat and tears.

Anyway, you guys are awesome, you deserve like a billion dollars (sadly, I have like 4 cents in my bank account so I'm not good for it) and unicorns and a skittles rainbow and yeah, I'll stop there. Thank you for the unlimited support and love, hope that you liked this chapter and I'd love to hear from all of you guys soon!

Feedback is not only appreciated but encouraged!

Song: _Cadence_ by **Fractures**.  
I thought it captured the mood of this chapter so perfectly, but I was seriously torn between using it now or saving it for later chapters. Well, I obviously didn't save it.  
Also, there's a part where I say: "He was magic, he was madness. He was heaven. He was sin." Totally from _Blank Space_ by **Taylor Swift** , in care anyone didn't catch that LOL.

 **On to the reply's!**

 **CHAPTER 13 Reviews:**

 **Guest (1)** : I'm pretty sure the same person reviewed chapter 1 and 13 so I just through id reply at once. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOU SUPPORT AND YOUR REVIEW. It means the world to me that you took the time out to binge my story and I really hope it was worth it Thank you so much for your words of encouragement, I can't wait to hear what you thought of the next chapter (which I guess means ch15, or 14 if you haven't read it already LOL)

 **Angelic Moonlight** : Aww I totally understand that you weren't able to review, I did update this story around the holiday times that time so I get it, it's hard. Thank you for always taking the time out to review and read my work. It means everything to me, reviews are what keep me going and keep me motivated. HAHA, I'm sure your expression was priceless when Yamato turned out to be the waiter, I was hoping for that kind of reaction coz I got a little cringey myself just writing it. I'm like ughhhh poor Yama, he so doesn't need this right now lmao. Thank you for your well wishes, love you!

 **Isabel Nightray** : I've said this before, I'll say it again, your reviews give me life. I WISH YOUR WORK WAS IN ENGLISH SO I COULD READ IT. I wanna put it in a translator so bad but I feel like everything always gets lost in translation whenever I've ever tried to do that, but if you have any suggestions that would be great lol, I'm serious! I don't know if you received my PM about your review, but it was obviously to personally thank you for all the trouble you went to to leave me a review, it was truly touching and I appreciate it beyond words. Your insight is always spot on and your feedback is refreshing.  
Your input about the characters is exactly what I was going for, I kinda love Zoe in my own way as well. She's a character I like to build on, it's kinda why I gave her that tortured, daddy issues, back story. I want to evolve her into a likable, secure character by the end of this story.  
I love writing Ryo. He's the guy you wanna hate for being such an over-privileged ass, but like you can't because he's so adorable with our favorite girl. I want him to give Matt a run for his money, I always said I want the readers to be torn between the two at some point.  
Tai is my absolute fave, like I LOVE WRITING AND READING TAI. I don't know what it is about him, but if I wasn't so die hard Mimato he would be front and center lead of all my stories. Aww, I love how much you love Tai—it's literally how I feel about him.  
Thank you, again, for your dedicated review LOL, I feel bad you had to go through so much but dude, I seriously appreciate it. You're awesome. FIND ME A WAY TO READ YOUR STORIES! TEACH ME SPANISH! Lol, kidding, but seriously if there's a way—TELL ME.

 **Darkywitch** : Haha, I don't mean to be mean! You didn't have to wait thaaat long, did you? Well, I'm sorry, please forgive me. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my work, I appreciate it beyond words. I hope the next chapter finds you well and that I hear from you soon!

 **Supernatural17980** : Thank you as always for you unwavering support and review, I really do appreciate it so much. So glad to hear you enjoyed the chapter!

 **Cancercute** : Haha, I know broody and self-loathsome Matt is super annoying but it's how I love writing him! Brooding Matt is my specialty LOL. HAHA, the restaurant scene was one of my faves because I just really wanted to capture Matt's kind of jealous side that he keeps hidden under his cool exterior. I really liked writing the little scene when Mimi was leaving and he tried to tell her how she deserved better and she got pissed lmao, I just like putting Matt through the ringer I think. I wanted the Zoe and Mimi scene to be kind of like a girl code thing, where she was genuinely reaching out to Mimi as like a fellow female. P.S I just read your PM about updating and I answered—it's so funny because I'm literally on my way to updating right now.

 **Angelxchild:** AWW thank you for being so sweet. I'm so happy you enjoyed the chapter, it was a fun one to write even though there was a bit of lack of mimato, though I think these next two ch's make up for that ;) I loved writing the restaurant scene, I just wanted to give Matt a little karma for his stunt with Zoe. Michi friendships are kinda my thing, writing their dynamic is so fun for me but I always have to tread lightly because I'll get tempted to turn them into something a little less platonic haha. Thanks for the review and your continued support!

 **Absolutelfaith** : aww, it's okay you forgot to review, I don't blame you, we all get busy sometimes. I appreciate you reviewing when you can and giving me feedback, it means so much to me I can't even express it. Haha, I totally agree with you about Matt being a total GUY in these scenes because its like dude either just fess up to your love for her or let her be, stop jerking her around like a puppet though! Tai's my baby, I don't think I'd be able to paint him in a negative light if I tried, I just have too much love for him! Anyways, thanks again for all your support and for bearing with me, you're the best! Hope to hear from you soon!

 **Chapter 14 Reviews:**

 **bleu comme l'hiver** : First, thank you for your kind words and support, I am so thankful to everyone who reads and especially reviews my work so I'm really happy to hear that you like my work. Let me say, I'm right there with you with the heartbreak over canon, honestly, I think Mimato was my first ever ship (along with Ash/Misty) so when they didn't happen it was such a bummer. Thanks for reviewing and giving me your feedback, hope to hear from you soon!

 **Guest** : Awww your words were so sweet, it's always so nice to hear compliments and to know that my writing has influenced other people, it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I've been hearing some good things about my characterizations and the progress of this story so that's always reassuring. I'm so glad that the Taiora scene was able to shine through all the mimato-ness, it was subtle but I was trying to get it across all the same. AHHHH I'm so happy the song heightened the reading experience, that was my goal—the song was honestly so perfect that the scene wrote itself. Again, thank you for your review and your kind words and I hope I'll hear from you for the next chapter

 **Isabel Nightray** : HAHA, I love reading your reviews, they're always a good time. I was hoping for the scene to be received the way you did, I was nervous and excited posting it, so I'm super relieved to know that the scene translated the way that I had wanted it to. I LOL'd at you saying you would've fainted if you weren't already lying down, haha. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much and I can't wait to hear what you thought of it.

 **Guest (2)** : Well, it didn't get swept under the rug, that's for sure. LOL. I was a little unsure about the kiss in the last chapter, but I also think they've held out long enough. Thank you so much for the review, I'm so appreciative of your compliments and your feedback, it's so encouraging. I hope you liked the latest installment, let me know what you thought!

 **OnceUponAnOriginal** : YAYYY, so glad this was your favorite chapter—mine is still chapter 11 (from a readers perspective LOL) but I loved writing chapter 14 as well. It was soooo much fun to write just the four of them and then of course writing the Mimato at the end. Thank you for you unwavering support and for always taking the time out to review my chapters, it means the world and I appreciate it beyond words. Hope to hear from you soon!

 **Guest (3):** LOLLL, your reaction made me laugh a little (in a good way, of course) because its basically the reaction I was hoping to get. I feel like the mimato tease has been going on from the beginning, I had my doubts about giving them a kiss but I just couldn't resist. It wrote itself, really, I had no control! But, I'm honestly glad it was received well, it was very reassuring. I'm so glad you liked the chapter and I can't wait to know what you thought of the aftermath!

 **Angelic** **Moonlight** : Awww, your reviews are always such a treat! They're so fun to read and always full of insight. THANK YOU FOR SAYING ALL THOSE NICE THINGS (*crying emojisx100*) You know, I feel like obviously the Mimato shocker at the end stole the show, but I really loved writing the bonding sesh and even when I read it back it warmed me because at the heart of it I just love their friendships with each other but as well as the group dynamic as a whole. I'm glad that the emotions I wanted to convey were translated to the readers because Sora's story in particular was one that I didn't want to be too overdrawn but I didn't want to mess it up either by downplaying it. I think getting Tai's reaction was the hardest part for because part of me wanted to write him as like angry and overprotective, but I just felt like that would've been overkill. Anyway, sorry I just rambled on to you just now (See what happens when I get started LOL) I'm just really happy you enjoyed the chapter and the kiss. I can't wait to hear what you thought of this one! Let me know how I did ;)

 **Supernatural17980** : Thank you for always being such a loyal reader and reviewer, I really appreciate the fact that you drop me a comment or two after every chapter—it means everything I'm glad that even though I took a while to update before, it was worth the wait. Thank you for your support and I can't wait to hear what you thought of this one!

 **Silentuser** : AWWW thank you for always reviewing my work, it's so nice to have reliable feedback and I know I can always count on you! So many other people have said that some of the scenes in this chapter read like a movie or a tv show and that's SUCH A HIGH COMPLIMENT (fan girl squeal) because it's seriously what I want it to feel like.I think I kind of did end up making you guys wait a month and I'M SORRY! To be fair, I have no excuses for this one except laziness—I HATE EDITING. Like editing and revisions are the bane of my existence. You're so sweet, I love this fandom and I have for sooooo long, I feel like this community is like a little family and some of the people still on here I've actually known through FF for YEARS so it's like crazy to hear from them because they've watched my progression as an author since I was in high school. Anyway, there I go—rambling. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement and your constant support, it inspires me always. Can't wait to hear from you next chapter!

 **Rose** : Hello, first and foremost I'd like to thank you for not only taking the time out to read my story but also for reviewing it, I will always appreciate feedback no matter what. I'm not the type to disregard reviews—ever—so there's no need to worry about that, I take the opinions of my readers _very seriously_ and constructive criticism is **always** welcome. I don't at all think you were trying to bash me, I've been on this site and writing for a really long time, so I'm well aware that not every single person who reads my stories is going to fall in love with my work— but I definitely don't take it personally. However, there are a few points that I wanted to reply to, perhaps maybe clear up for you, to give you a better understanding of what I was trying to portray because it seems as if it didn't come across the way I had intended.  
1\. **Immaturity** : Well, to assume that these 17/18/19 year olds at the beginning of their college careers would have the emotional maturity or depth of adults would be a bit of a reach, in my book. I personally don't believe that in the three months between high school graduation and the start of college enough personal growth takes place in order for a person to become a fully functioning and entirely rational adult. I think that making better decisions, understanding how to act upon emotions and gaining self- actualization happens over time, at a slow but steady rate and is shaped entirely by experience. Perhaps it is a cultural thing, but I wasn't trying to write these _teenagers_ as adults, I'm still not. I'm going to write them with the level of maturity that _I think_ is appropriate for the setting.  
2\. " **Lust** " I think you're missing the point a little with this one, Matt and Mimi's actions up until that very end scene were governed by the exact opposite of lust, that being logic. Instead of acting on their attraction for each other, they were trying to suppress it because they didn't want to ruin their carefully cultivated friendship. I'm writing this from an angle where the two have been really good friends for the entire time Mimi has been away. Now she's back and she's not the same ten year old girl she was when she left, nor is Matt the same eleven year old boy. They're seeing each other in a completely different light and are struggling with the realization that their friendship and love for each other might not be as platonic as they once believed. _If_ you've ever been in a situation like that, where you start to have feelings for a guy you considered to be like a brother or like your best friend, then maybe you can agree that usually it starts out with admitting you're attracted to that person and that's the stage they're at right now.  
3\. Everything else aside and with all due respect. PLEASE, don't ever assume to know me or my actual life. For you to leap to conclusions about a person you actually don't know and try to give them unsolicited love or life advice is a little insulting, not to mention pretentious. I don't mind you voicing your opinions about my work, what you liked or didn't like about it, I really do appreciate the honesty. But what I will never appreciate nor tolerate is any form of judgement directed at my person, because again, I'll repeat, You don't actually know me.  
Other than that, my response was not intended to defend my work or to prove my story to you, instead I just thought I'd clear any misconceptions you might have to perhaps make this a better reading experience for you. If it did not, I still sincerely thank you for the support and wish you well.

 **Angelxchild** : AWWW YOURE SO SWEEEET. I love hearing from my faithful readers and reviewers you guys make my life! I'm so glad you didn't think the kiss was rushed, I was soooo worried about that. Seems like the majority of you guys enjoyed the Mimato scene at the end and that is sooo relieving. I'm so happy that it was received so well. I hope you did end up rereading the last scene with the song, I feel like it changes the experience all together LOL. Regardless, thank you so much for your continued support, it means the world to me. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter and on how the conversation went POST KISS!

 **Cancercute** : I love you. You know I absolutely love you and seeing your reviews literally make my day. You and SincereFriendship have been on this site with me for sooo long, i honestly feel like we grew up together LOL. Started with Polar Opposites now we're here, hahah! I was just on your bio and that Intimacy story you have up (Takari) caught my eye (I've been Daikari lately, though) so I think I'm going to give it a read! I do love your work. Okay, your review is like totally spot on, it's like you're in my brain because that's EXACTLY what I was trying to convey. Like that they're these confused teenagers with obvi raging hormones but they're best friends and it's so frustrating LOL. I'm glad the song gave the scene a little more depth, you know I'm all about soundtrack to the scene haha. I hope you liked this chapter, I honestly can't wait to hear what you thought of this chapter, you have to let me know! Thanks as always, girl, you're my fave. xx

 **Kdesir** : aww, you are so sweet. Thank you for reading and reviewing my work, it always feels so good to hear that. It actually amazes me how many people still read Polar Opposites because I finished it SEVEN YEARS AGO (mind=blown) but to hear anyone still bring it up or read it even now makes me feel so special because it truly is something I'm proud of. I'm happy this story is being received equally as well and I'm really relieved to hear that you like it so far. HAHA, your comment about the kiss scene being like waiting until the third season of a tv show to get to was priceless, I totally agree, the slow burn was killing me too! I'm happy the kiss scene didn't feel so rushed and I really hope you let me know what you thought of the aftermath in this chapter!

Once again, to everyone who reads and reviews my work—THANK YOU.

 **Until next time!**


	16. Wicked Games

_**"Slow Burn"**_ _(def.): an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time_.

-x-

 **Chapter Sixteen** : _Wicked Games_

 _What a wicked game to play,  
_ _To make me feel this way  
_ _What a wicked thing to do,  
_ _To make me dream of you_

-x-

"Can I just ask, how the hell did you end up in Kamiya's room?" Sora raised a brow.

Mimi sighed, "If you must know, I went in there to sleep." She continued to rummage through her drawer for something decent to wear.

The sooner she got in the shower, the better, she hadn't felt this dirty in a long time.

Sora rolled her eyes, "I guessed as much on my own, M. You _know_ what I mean." She persisted.

"I'm not sure I do, S." She maintained, comparing t shirts as a means of avoiding eye contact.

"Okay then, _why_ did you go to his room when you could've easily slept in Matt's bed next to _me_."

Matt's bed. Just those two words together made her cringe while simultaneously raising every hair on her body.

A wave of heat washed over her, "Well, you see the thing is…" Mimi felt a bead of sweat roll down her neck as she scrambled for some kind of excuse.

Something, anything except the truth.

Lying wasn't her strong suit though and it was times like this that she wished she could damn her sincerity to hell.

Floundering for a response and looking guiltier by the second, the brunette refused to face her best friend out of sheer embarrassment.

Until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Slowly, she twisted her neck over her shoulder to meet Sora's auburn eyes. "You know you can tell me _anything_ , Mimi." She said with certainty.

Mimi straightened up, "I, there's nothing to tell." She said through a cracked voice and feeble eyes.

The redhead gave her a disbelieving look, "Mimi, it's okay." She repeated. "I, I already know and I want you to know that you don't have to hide things like this from me." She promised.

"Wait, you do?" Mimi's eyes widened. "You _know_?" She asked again with marked disbelief.

Sora nodded, "And I'm okay with it, if you were trying to keep it from to in some valiant effort to protect me or something—you don't need to." She said with a smile. "If this is what you want...what you _both_ want then I'm happy for you."

"You… _are_?" She asked, confusion heavy in her voice.

Mostly because what was there to be happy about? This was a solitary occurrence, something that would never be repeated. They would bury this like they had so many other things and get on with their lives because it was the only thing to do. They weren't ready for something meaningful and life altering, because that's what getting into a relationship with Matt would mean.

It would be the end of everything as they knew it.

A brand new world.

"Of course, but I think you should be careful though, you _know_ how he can be."

Mimi furrowed her brows, "It didn't mean anything, just a one off." She said shakily.

"I get why it would be hard for you, his reputation is certainly something that has preceded him in the worst way but you must know as well as I do that he has a heart of gold."

"Yeah, once you get past all the ice." She muttered.

It was Sora's turn to look perturbed. "Ice?" But she shook her head as soon as the question left her mouth. "Regardless, my whole point was just that you can trust me with these things. I honestly don't care at all that you hooked up with Tai, even though it was a little surprising and _poor Matt_ he had to be the one to find you guys but—

"Wait, that's what you think?" Mimi balked, when her shock finally wore off at Sora's words. "That I hooked up with _Tai_." She nearly blanched at the thought.

Not that there was anything wrong with Tai, it was just that he was known for being a womanizing jerk. He had a steady revolving door of different girls that he bedded on a weekly basis, it was almost methodical in nature.

She shuddered at the thought of becoming one of Taichi Kamiya's many conquests.

"Well, yeah…I mean isn't that the most logical explanation for why you would be sleeping beside him." Sora shrugged. "Probably the most courtesy he's ever given to a girl, I'm thinking he usually puts them straight into a cab right after." She laughed.

She was at an impasse, by the looks of it, convincing Sora of a meaningless (almost) one night stand with Tai would be easier than convincing her it was with Matt.

Well, the meaningless part anyway.

And Sora, bless her soul, would do everything in her power to make Mimi face the truth and force her to come to terms with her feelings and reconcile all the emotions that were raging inside her.

The brunette was so not ready for that kind of intensive therapy just yet.

Still, the idea of letting Sora' believe that she slept with Tai was a little more than she could bare. Besides, she would not only be lying to Sora but she would be implicating Tai in her mess as well and explaining to him why she had to lie to Sora in the first place was actually so much worse than coming clean.

He would never let either of them live this down.

Then there was the whole Ryo mess and how she could ever explain this to him if he ever found out her lie about Tai.

She drew in a sharp breath, "If I tell you, you are _sworn_ to secrecy." She dropped her voice a decibel.

Sora looked at her strangely, "I…what." She said confusedly. "Tell me what?"

"And, you can't try to counsel me or try to convince me what I'm about to tell you means something deeper. Also, you can never repeat it, not even to the other party involved." Mimi ignored her protests and continued.

Sora looked, if possible, even more confused. "You're seriously not making any sense, but I'll agree to whatever you want. Just _tell me_ already."

She let out a sigh, "I didn't hook up with Tai." She said.

Sora seemed surprised. "Oh, I see." She said with a slow nod. "Well, then, I'm officially lost." She admitted.

"It was Matt." The admission came out in a whisper.

But Sora heard it all the same, her mouth dropping into an 'O' as she stared at Mimi like she had three heads. "You're joking."

Mimi shook her head, "We didn't have sex…if that's what you're thinking." She pushed her hair back. "But we kind of made out… _aggressively_." She dropped her face into her hands.

"Tachikawa, tell me you didn't." Sora, who wasn't much of a shrieker or squealer, managed to do both in the same sentence.

Mimi nodded miserably, her face still in her hands.

"Where! When! Tell me everything!" She demanded.

"In the Loft's kitchen, the countertop to be exact—

"Oh my god." Sora shoved a hand over her eyes. "Matt defiled you on that countertop where we had our breakfast the next day!" She groaned, trying vigorously to erase the mental images she had of the pair.

She felt her face reddening with every passing second. "We didn't do anything!" She gave the redhead a light shove. "It was last night, after you and Tai had both gone to sleep…we just, we'd all been drinking and I think we were both just vulnerable and there. It could have easily been any other girl for him, I'm sure. It was all chemical." She said with enough conviction in her voice to almost believe it. "It didn't mean anything Sor, I swear. So please, just don't make a deal of this." She was practically pleading.

A sympathetic look crossed the redhead's features. "Whatever you want, Meems." She promised. "Do you feel like it was a mistake?"

Mimi shrugged a shoulder, "I don't really know what to make of it, I wouldn't call it a mistake I don't think." She was unsure, "Nothing with Matt could ever be a mistake, I just think we aren't ready and we did something stupid that could potentially change things between us forever. I think we should have been fairer to our friendship, which has withstood the test of time and distance." She answered honestly.

"That sounds really mature of you." She nodded.

Mimi pushed back her now limp, stringy hair. "I'm sure it does." She let out a breath. "In reality though, I'm scared shitless, S. I don't know how the hell I'm going to face him or what I'm supposed to say. I don't think anything is ever going to be the same between us and it's literally all I can think about." She was on the verge of tears, for what reason though, she wasn't sure.

Was it because of what happened with Matt last night?

Was it out of confusion?

Exhaustion?

Frustration.

Probably a combination of all those and more.

Sora put both hands on her shoulders, steadying her. "Hey, I meant what I said before, Meems. I am here for you. I always will be, as long as I'm around you will never have to deal with anything alone." She promised the brunette. "If you don't wanna see Matt, we don't have to go meet them at the park. We can hole up here and watch movies all weekend." She suggested with a comforting smile. "Its whatever you want, M. I'm on your side, always."

Mimi couldn't wrap her arms around the redhead fast enough, "Thank you." It was everything she had needed to hear.

Telling Sora had lifted an elephant sized weight of her off her chest, for the first time in weeks she felt like she could breathe again.

-x-

Mimi had decided it was better to go to the park and join their friends for a sunny afternoon together than to miss out on it. At least in a group, she wouldn't be forced to spend time alone with Matt if she didn't want to. And with so many people around, surely she should be sufficiently distracted enough not to give the brooding blonde even a second though, right?

Wrong.

She had been here for only a half hour and already her blood was boiling.

Matt talking so carelessly to an ethereal blonde who made even skinny jeans look like couture when they framed her long legs that perfectly.

She swallowed down the anger that was rising inside her, keeping to herself every mean word and malicious thought.

Sora hadn't left her side, but when Sam showed up Mimi all but forced the redhead to get lost. It took a lot of convincing, but she would never allow Sora to sit and play babysitter when she could be spending time with her newly minted boyfriend.

She continued to sit at the close by picnic table she and Sora had chosen when they'd gotten there, watching the boys continue their game of one on one.

Tai sidled over to her, "Never took you for the love 'em and leave 'em type." He said from above her.

Mimi felt her back go ramrod straight as her eyes widened, "I… what." She looked up at him in disbelief.

Tai just grinned, "I heard you took advantage of me while I slept, gotta say I didn't expect it from you, Tachikawa." He dropped into the space beside her.

Mimi let out a breath, "I couldn't resist." She rolled her eyes.

"Listen, I have to be honest with you here, my performance is very subpar when I can't even remember it. How about you give me a second chance to show you what I can really—

"Oh my God, Tai!" Mimi yelped. "Please don't tell me you _actually_ think we slept together." She groaned.

He let out a loud guffaw. "Nah." He waved off. "I just like messing with you. Almost as much as I _love_ messing with Ishida." The mischievous gleam in his eye made her fear for her life.

"What'd you do?" She asked, her voice filling with dread.

The smile turned gleeful, "Nothing that you didn't set me up for." He said conspiratorially.

"Taichi Kamiya, if I catch wind of even so much as an illicit whisper of a conjugal position that we have never been in—I will make sure you are never able to use that appendage again." She threatened with a growl.

"Woah, alright. That was unnecessary." He held up his hands. "I'd never compromise your integrity, Tachikawa." He assured her with a wink.

"Why doesn't that make me feel any better." She dropped her face into her hands.

"Relax, when he came in all investigator Ishida like, asking me why the hell we were in bed together I told him I didn't even remember you being there." Though it wouldn't have been the first time he woke up with no recollection of a girl being in his bed.

Mimi lifted her face out of her hands, "And…what did he say?" She hated herself for asking.

But she had to know.

Tai gave her an annoying smirk that only served to tick her off further. "Oh you know, flew into a jealous rage, broke things around the apartment. Nothing crazy." He said dismissively.

Mimi looked at him through wide hazel eyes, "No way…you're kidding." She gasped.

He laughed loudly, "Well _obviously_ I am." He said with a snort. "Does that even remotely sound like Ishida to you? No. He just did that usual scowl and shrug combo." He twisted his face into his best Yamato-glare.

Mimi elbowed him in stomach, feeling a pang of satisfaction when she heard him let out an audible breath and doubling over. "For the record, I came to sleep next to you because Matt's pillows are too fluffy, they were giving me neck issues." She said with her nose upturned.

Tai chuckled, "Jeez you're a bad liar." He said easily. "You don't have to tell me how or why, Tachikawa. It's not my business. But if you're going to try to convince him of something, I'd come up with a better excuse than fluffy pillows." And with that, he gave her hair a ruffle before getting up.

-x-

"So, you know I have to ask." Zoe started.

Matt looked up from his phone, "What?"

"Have you been avoiding me since...well, the other night?" She asked frankly.

Matt's felt his eyebrows raise, taken aback by her sudden honesty. "I...well, no." He stuttered a bit. "I haven't really thought about it."

She let out a brief chuckle, "How sweet, just what every girl wants to hear." She said sarcastically.

He shook his head, "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant, I wasn't trying to avoid you." He maintained. "That night was…"

Zoe nodded, "Yeah, I know." She leaned her back against an old oak. "Full disclosure though, I ran into Mimi when I was sneaking out. Not sure how that factors into anything in the grand scheme of things, but I thought you should know." She mentioned.

Of course, he was well aware of this fact already. "Why?" He asked anyway.

"Why what?"

"Why'd you feel like you would have to tell me that?"

She tucked a golden strand behind her ear. "I mean, there's a vibe." She shrugged. "Or am I wrong?"

He didn't say anything.

"Well, I'm sure whatever it is, is complicated and hard to explain." She assumed.

He nodded, "Usually is." He muttered.

"I like Mimi, you know? She's real." Zoe continued. "It's why I talked to her about it afterwards. Total transparency so there's no miscommunication."

Matt turned to face her, "Wait, you what?" He asked through wide cobalt eyes. "Talked to her about... _what_?" He all but demanded.

Zoe looked surprised. "I mean, she walked in on me leaving your apartment. And I don't know, she seemed a little upset, or shocked or well, _something_. I just didn't want this to be a problem, so I...I asked her if it was okay." She elaborated with slight trepidation.

"If _what_ was okay?"

"Me...and you. _Us_." She said softly. "Not that there has to be an us, Matt. But I just wanted to make sure that if there ever would be, if there's even a chance for it, that Mimi was okay with it." She explained.

And for some reason, this made him increasingly irritated.

"And…?" He got out, fingers itching to dig around his pockets.

"She said it was fine. That you two are _just friends_. That it's never going to be anything more than that." She shrugged a shoulder.

He shoved a hand into his pocket, pulling out a carton. "Hn." He shoved a cigarette between his lips, pulling out lighter with the other hand. "Anything else?" He said through gritted teeth.

"I mean, not really. I didn't push it and we basically just started talking about her and my brother." Zoe answered. "I got the feeling she's pretty into him, if that's what you're asking."

"It's not what I'm asking." He grunted, following an A-line to where the brunette had her head thrown back in laughter at something Akiyama said.

Matt scowled at the scene, deeming the reaction a gross exaggeration considering the limited time he had spent with the guy, he didn't seem all that funny.

"Well, then. In that case, that was that."

He was silent, smoking his cigarette with absolutely no emotion on his face except a trademark grimace that could have been the product of a number of things.

"Look, Matt. I'm sorry if I overstepped. But we're becoming friends, Mimi and I, and that _means something_ to me." She apologized. "I just don't want things to get messy for any of us."

Too late for that.

He took a long drag.

"Well, is there?" She asked quietly, when she got no response from him.

"Is there what?"

"A chance? For there to be...an _us_?"

Matt let out another puff of smoke, "It's a little premature for this conversation, don't you think?" He wanted her to go away, he wanted her as far away from him as physically possible right now.

He knew none of this was her fault, but there was a rage building inside of him every second that passed. With every mistaken glance in Mimi's direction, he felt himself burning with anger—burning with desire. The two were almost synonymous, so much so, that he could barely tell them apart.

He wondered how it was possible for Mimi to feel nothing but platonicness towards him, how she could so easily be _sure_ that they were just friends. How was it possible that what happened between them, changed _nothing_ for her. And how could she so easily flirt with Akiyama, when all he could think about was her.

Even now, with Zoe standing two feet from him, all he wanted was her.

And why didn't she feel this terrible, all consuming urge to be around him the way he did for her. How it was literally eating him up alive from the inside out not to be near her, not be touching her. Every inch of his skin, every particle, every atom was begging to feel her. Watching her from across the picnic tables, talking animatedly to Tai or being doted on by Akiyama—it was _torture_.

Had it always been this way?

Zoe sighed, "I've felt something for you from the second i met you, Matt." She admitted in a small, shy voice. "It's different than anything I've ever known, so for me, it's not premature." She said seriously.

He swallowed down the lump in his throat.

This was the exact type of conversations he hated.

"We barely know each other."

She nodded, "Yeah, I know and I'm not saying you have to be my boyfriend tomorrow." She said with half a grin. "But if there isn't anyone else...well, then, I don't see why we can't give dating a shot."

" _Dating_." He repeated, the word sounding foreign and incomprehensible.

"Yes, Yamato. Dating." She rolled her eyes. "Unless, there _is_ someone else."

 _She said you guys were just friends. Nothing more…_

"There isn't anyone else." He stamped the cigarette out with his foot.

Her eyes lit up, though it was fairly obvious how insincere the admission had been. " _Really_?" She asked with a smile.

And try as he might, he couldn't wretch his eyes away from Mimi long enough to properly respond.

 _She seems pretty into him, if that's what you're asking._

"Sure."

"Then it's official. There's no reason why you and I shouldn't explore this new facet of our...relationship."

Matt finally brought his eyes back to the blonde, "Okay, you're going to need to slow down on the wedding bells there." He said quickly. "I could be open to seeing where this goes, but I don't do labels. There's no commitments or expectations. If you wanna see other people, be my guest because I'm not looking for a _relationship_. If you're okay with that, then we can talk. If not, that's fine too." He wasn't sure what was making him say all this.

Was it because Mimi could care less about his very existence, that's how incredibly entrenched in conversation she was with his arch nemesis. Was it because said arch nemesis had his hands on her waist, on her hips and damn that bastard he was getting way too close to her ass.

His fists balled up at his sides immediately, fighting the urge to rip Akiyama's head clean off his shoulders.

"Non exclusive dating, fine with me." She agreed happily.

Even dating was too strong of a word for his liking, but he wasn't in the mood to split hairs.

"Great." He pulled out a second cigarette.

"Let's do something Friday night?" She suggested brightly.

"Working." He grunted.

"Well, we can get together after your shift?"

Ryo leaned in to whisper something in Mimi's ear.

"Yeah, come by the loft." He didn't even know if he wanted her to.

He just knew he needed some kind of distraction or someone was going to get punched.

Ryo moved his hands through her hair.

"You know, you should really cut down." She jutted her chin at him. "Smoking is _seriously_ bad for your health."

"Gee, thanks Zoe. No one's ever told me that before."

She raised a brow at him, "Okay...I'm gonna leave you to your mood then." She held up her hands on either side.

Matt let out a breath through his nose, "Sorry, that was uncalled for." He threw the half smoked cigarette on the ground. "I'm done for the day, okay?"

She smiled, "Good, now let's see if you can beat me in a game of one on one without getting winded, grandpa." She challenged wickedly.

"You're on."

-x-

It wasn't until sundown that he was able to put his pride aside and approached her. But all the self coaching in the world couldn't stop him from sounding resentful.

"So you were perfectly complicit with ignoring me all day, huh?" He said from behind her.

She'd know his voice in a noisy stadium, over hundreds of screams, through thunder and lightning.

Anywhere.

But his allegation did nothing but fuel her ire. "Oh I'm _sorry_ , I didn't realize you even registered my presence given your entanglements." She was all acid and fire. "I have to say, she must be a phenomenal conversationalist to have kept you occupied all damn day."

He could feel the heat radiating off her skin like last night, saw the bright flames burning behind warm honey eyes.

She was as illuminating as the moon, as scalding as the sun and it was all he could do not to get burned by her.

It would be a beautiful death though, drowning in her flames.

"You're one to talk, I think you must have thrown your back out with how hard Akiyama had you laughing." He retorted.

"Oh come off it, Ishida. If anyone should have an issue, it's _me_. Or were you not just convening with the girl you slept with, that i had the great pleasure of seeing the morning she was sneaking out." Mimi seethed.

Matt let out a mirthless laugh, "You can't be serious." He shook his head.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "No, of course I'm not serious. I find humor in this situation, I'm just in stitches over this whole thing. Truly, i've never had more fun." She replied with a fake smile.

"Honestly, I don't really get what I did to you. You've been the one bending over backwards to avoid me." He blamed.

"Just stop it, you've been following behind cheer-skank barbie with your tongue out and tail wagging."

His eyes widened with sheer disbelief at her gall. He wanted to strangle her, she was absolutely infuriating. "I didn't take you for the jealous type." He scoffed.

"Is that what she is then, just some kind of ploy to make me jealous?" She demanded.

A harsh laugh escaped him, "You'd _love_ that, wouldn't you?" He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Not everything is about _you_ , Mimi."

"Oh, so you actually like her then, is _that_ it?" And somehow she had made that sound worse than her initial suggestion that he was just using Zoe.

As if she would somehow prefer that to him actually having feelings for the blonde.

"What do you care if I do? You've made it pretty obvious that you don't want anything to do with me or was parading Akiyama in my face an accident." He spat. "The way I see it, turnabout is pretty fucking fair, princess."

The hurt on her face was evident, she'd always been shit at hiding things like that. She also wasn't quick enough to come up with something equally as scathing.

Mimi shook her head, "You know, I thought we wouldn't let what happened between us change things. I thought we could still be friends." A dry laugh tore from her throat. "I was so wrong."

"You were naïve to think that in the first place." He said with stoical indifference.

It cut her to the core, the way he regarded her with no emotion. As if she meant nothing to him. And even though she knew it wasn't the case, it sure as hell felt like it when he was so incredibly cold. "Remember when you told me that you wouldn't do that thing where you shut me out—that was a lie too, huh?" She didn't dare look him lest he saw the tears gathering at the corner of her eyes.

If she had looked at him, perhaps she would've seen the little break in his façade.

"Whatever, this is stupid." She couldn't stand here any longer, she was seconds from full blown tears and all she wanted to do was curl up in bed and wish away the last two days with all her might.

She bumped his shoulder walking past him and barely knew what was happening when his hand latched around her wrist. Not a moment later she was in his arms and his lips had claimed her.

The gasp of shock that left her turned into a small sigh of content before she could stop herself and suddenly she was spinning.

Around and around and around, sliding deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole.

Drowning in a sea of confusion and passion and helplessness.

And all she could think of were his hands and his mouth. All she could see were stars and fireworks and hues of blue and gold. All she felt was this all consuming desire to feel every inch of his skin and how he lit her skin on fire with every caress. All she could do was pray to anything that would listen that he'd never stop.

 _It hurts to love you, but I still love you  
_ _It's just the way I feel  
_ _And I'd be lying, if I kept hiding  
_ _The fact that I can't deal  
_ _And that I've been dying... for something real_

-x-

 **A/N:** Hi…

Well, I guess I shouldn't come back as if no time has passed at all and you guys haven't been waiting for this thing to be updated...should I? *nervous eye roll*

Okay, a few things happened:  
1\. I had total writer's block for a while, there was no good music and no good writing and I was in such a funk.  
2\. Remember when I was engaged? Well now I'm married...so, there was a whole bachelorette party, bridal shower and about thirty million wedding events to plan which took up basically all my time from March to August (I swear, planning a wedding is just more hassle than its worth)  
3\. Moving. Into my new place. With my brand new husband. Also time consuming. But unlike weddings, not more hassle than its worth.  
4\. School started simultaneously with all this so… need I go on?

I hope this list gets me just a little sympathy and just a little forgiveness. Know that I would've updated earlier if i could've, I promise.

Alright, now that that unpleasantness is out of the way, tell me, tell me **WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THIS CHAPTER**! I would loooooove some feedback, especially since I've been working on this for the last (oh I don't know…) sevenish months. Please let me know how it was and catch me up on whatever I've missed with you guys! You know, since I tell you guys every major life event that occurs in mine :P

And with that, let's get on to the thankyou's!

 **Angelic Moonlight:** Haha, I try with my chapter titles! It's actually probably the hardest part of writing, figuring out a good title. Lol, I considered that aspect, Sora drunkenly walking into the kitchen and then Mimi and Matt trying to convince her its all a dream and she didn't really see what she saw. I took the simpler route though lmao. Honestly, for me, it took a lot of nerve and a lot of practice to start writing intimate scenes and my first few go around's were not great. There's a fine line between sexy and vulgar, and writing a vulgar sexual scene is just so cringy, so I don't blame you for the trepidation. My only advice would be, try to study authors you like, how they write sexual scenes tastefully, the language that works, etc. Its the only thing that helped me! Haha, if you thought his inner turmoil was bad last chapter, well then, this chapter must've just been torturous LOL. I wanted to go for a more Matt pining for Mimi angle as oppose to it usually being the opposite.  
Well, I wonder if you were thinking about this fic this time around LOL or have you just given up on it all together. I updated near the weekend so hopefully everyone has some down time to catch up:) As always, thank you for the review and your wonderful feedback, and I hope you enjoy this installment! I look forward to hearing from you :)

 **Guest (1)** : Hi! Good to hear from you again! Haha I'm glad you're enjoying the chapters and I'm really happy to hear that you think each chapter is more enticing than the one before. I try hard so its nice to be appreciated. Yeah, that was the conclusion i can to, but i was pretty torn about which way I wanted it to go. Yes, the idea is to get Matt as jealous as possible, maybe it'll be enough to get him to grow a pair and ask out the girl he clearly likes. Again, thank you for the feedback and for your kind words! I look forward to hearing from you soon! I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter :)

 **OnceUponAnOriginal** : Aww! Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it! I feel like Ryo and Zoe are both going to get annoying for the hardcore Mimato shippers, but you know, means to an end and all LOL. I hope they're not hated by the end of this. Thank you so much for the praises, it means so much! I'm so happy to hear that you like my story and I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter! Can't wait to hear from you!

 **Isabel Nightray** : Hi! I did send you a PM, but I'm sure you've seen it by now. Thank you but you're the sweetest! I understand you're opposed to translating, I'm sure it would ruin the integrity of the work. I totally get it, I still wish I could l read your stuff! I feel like it's probably great!  
AWWW, thanks so much! I'm glad you liked it and I try really hard to keep the characters as true to themselves as possible while still allowing the growth that I think they would acquire had they been in college.  
Yes, I definitely was really excited to write that scene between Yamato and Mimi, I think it was a long time coming for everyone, especially the two of them. That was one of those scenes that kind of wrote itself, it just sort of flowed together on its own. It was really fun to write but then I hit such a roadblock after. This chapter wasn't as Tai heavy, but that was mostly by design. I love Tai so much, writing him is so much fun for me, that even when he has basically nothing to do with a chapter, I have to incorporate him somehow. This chapter was more about the Mimi-Sora relationship and the beginning of complications for the newly discovered Mimato relationship.  
Yeah! They did that a lot in 02, where Davis would just mess up the second initial of TK's name to be a douche LOL, I'm glad you liked that detail, I try to incorporate as much as I can remember without it being too contrived. LOL, yes Tai is indeed magical, he's the best remedy for any sickness or stress. Thanks so much for all the feedback and your great review, it's always so fun to read what you have to say. I always look forward to your reviews! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter!

 **Guest(2** ): HI! Firstly, thank you for the review! I appreciate you taking the time out to not only read my story but to give it feedback. Thank you so much for your kind words and I'm so happy to hear that you enjoy the story! Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

 **Camii:** Hi! So great to hear from you. Thank you so much for the review and I'm so happy to hear that! I love hearing that my work is compelling enough to warrant a full bio read LOL Thank you for all the nice sentiments, I really do appreciate it! And I do hope to keep hearing from you, I hope you'll continue to read my work and give me feedback! Can't wait to hear from you!

 **Cancercute** : Hiii! Always sooo good to hear from you! I love getting reviews from you, it's always so nostalgic and insightful. I really wanted to go for that, I wanted Matt to be so out of his comfort zone and to come across visibly conflicted and confused. LOL, I know right, I love that too, he's usually so calm and cool so its nice to have him be so uncontrolled. The last chapter was a bit of a cliffhanger but this one… :x sorry about that! But I promise to try and update sooner to make up for it lol. Yes, it's a lot of Matt emphasis and his emotions mostly because Mimi is a heart-on-her-sleeve type of girl so I don't have to go into so much description, at least that's how I feel about. She can talk about her emotions and stuff whereas Matt will run from them at 100MPH. I really hope I hear from you soon, I can't wait to hear what you thought of this chapter! Thank you for the review!

 **Mingming08** : Hi! Aww, thank you so much for saying that! I always get all warm and fuzzy inside when i hear things like that! I'm so happy you like my story, it's always really nice to hear that my work is appreciated :D Yes! I remember talking about how we didn't wanna watch Tri because of all the Sorato, I still haven't watched it either. I had really been hoping it would be a little different than how they ended 02, but it wasn't :( Some Taiora would've been nice. I love you too and THANK YOU for the review and for always giving me feedback and for reading the story. Your support means the world! I can't wait to hear what you thought of this chapter! Talk to you soon!

 **Guest (3)** : Well, i guess you kind of had to wait long, but i'm sorry for that! Thank you for leaving a review and for reading, it means a lot. Yes, that seems to be the consensus, that seeing Ryo now is more of a nuisance than anything else LOL, but still, he has a purpose to serve, I will try to make him as tolerable as possible. Haha, yes definitely, in due time, they will get it together. Thank you for reading and supporting my work, it means the world. I can't wait to hear what you thought of this chapter!

 **Guest(4)** : Hi, well here's the update! I'm sorry it's so late but it's here! I know I promised but I had so much going on! I hope you'll understand and I hope you liked this chapter! Looking forward to hearing from you soon! Thanks for the review!

 **Tanngytagny2:** Hello! Thanks for the review! I'm sorry you had to wait so long for the update but here it is! Hope you enjoy it :)

 **Angelxchild** **:** Hi! Lol, well thank you for that! I'm so happy to hear that, it really does mean the world to me to here such positive feedback on my story! I'm sorry for taking so long to update but here it is! I hope you'll enjoy it and let me know what you thought! Looking forward to hearing from you soon

 **Kiki:** Awww, I love hearing that! I can't believe you re-read it five times! That's commitment, but I'm honored. Thank you so much for supporting my story and reviewing! Sorry this update took so long but I hope you like it. Let me know what you think!

 **P.S: The songs:**

 **Chapter title and beginning lyrics:** _Wicked Game_ by **Chris Isaak  
The song at the end is **_13 Beaches_ **by Lana Del Rey.** If you know me, you know I'm a huge lana fan. This last album was genius, it was absolutely amazing, listen to it if you haven't, it's called Lust for Life.


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